Minister Jobet announces 66 measures to guide the development of Chile’s energy sector over the next decades

Energy and Mining Biminister Juan Carlos Jobet, accompanied by Energy Undersecretary Francisco López, presented the draft of the updated National Energy Policy this morning. The policy is a long-term roadmap for the development of the energy sector. 

The event was also attended by Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt and Science Minister Andrés Couve, as well as other guests who attended both online and in person. Biminister Jobet highlighted that “for the first time, climate change is a key element in the energy policy, which incorporates green hydrogen and electromobility as opportunities to reduce emissions in the country’s main productive sectors.” He added, “as the Government, we have identified that the new energy context we face today is completely different to the one that existed five years ago, when the PEN was created. That is why updating the energy policy is critical to support the State’s vision and make it more ambitious, responding to today’s needs.” 

The PEN reflects the long-term vision that Chile has for energy issues. For almost two years, more than 1,200 actors connected to the sector, representatives from academia, NGOs, consultancy firms, the public and private sectors and indigenous peoples participated in technical discussion groups and workshops. They provided inputs to offer continuity to the state policy, with new emphases, given the changes to global and local realities and the challenges they present. The first version of the PEN was presented in 2015. 

During the event, Biminister Jobet explained that the PEN sets out three aims: “that Chile becomes a protagonist of climate ambition; that energy is used to improve Chilean’s quality of life; and that a new productive identity is created for Chile through energy. The long-term challenges and commitments for the energy sector are defined through six principles: sustainability; resilience; efficiency; accessibility; inclusiveness; and respect.” 

Energy Undersecretary López also pointed out that “public participation has become a hallmark of the Energy Ministry in developing public policies. In this respect, updating the National Energy Policy was carried out via a broad participatory process at four different levels: regional participatory citizen workshops; thematic discussion groups with experts; an advisory committee; and through coordination with public agencies, within the Strategic Environmental Assessment framework.” 

Science, Knowledge and Innovation Minister Andrés Couve explained, “we are fully aware of the challenge posed by climate change and the need to act ambitiously and in an informed manner to fight it. That is why today we are launching the National Energy Policy draft, which has been led by Minister Jobet in a joint effort with the Science and Environment ministries and in collaboration with the scientific community, the innovation ecosystem and the Chilean people. This is in line with a new way of co-creating public policies.” 

The PEN emphasizes strongly addressing the climate crisis faced by Chile and the planet. For the first time, it incorporates green hydrogen as a unique opportunity to reduce emissions from the country’s main productive sectors. 

In addition, the updated version of the PEN incorporates electromobility, which is one of the pillars for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. That it was not considered in the previous version reflects the rapid progress that has occurred in the energy sector. 

The initiative identifies more than 60 goals for 2030, 2040 and 2050 in order to meet the targets. The main measures relate to four themes: electrification; firewood and pollution; jobs and gender parity; and the PEN as a guide for all the Energy Ministry’s initiatives and strategies.  

Electricity sector 

•      100% zero-emission energy used in electricity generation by 2050. 

•      Renewable energies to contribute 80% of electricity generation by 2030. 

•      100% access to electricity for all homes by 2030. All Chilean homes will have permanent electricity by 2030, with emphasis on the indigenous population. (This goal has been brough forward 20 years compared to the previous PEN).

Firewood and decontamination

•       2.5 particulate matter pollution from heating will be reduced by 70% by 2050, compared to 2018. 

•     100% dry firewood in all urban centers by 2030. 

Jobs and gender parity

•    Jobs: 100,000 new direct and indirect jobs in the energy sector by 2030, resulting from sustainable energy projects in new energy-related industries. 

•    Gender: Gender parity in management positions and salaries in public and private energy-sector organizations by 2040. 

The PEN as a guide for the energy sector

•    Electromobility: 100% of new light and medium vehicles sold and new additions to urban public transport will be zero-emission by 2035.

•      Hydrogen: 70% zero-emission fuels (such as green hydrogen) in final-use non-electric energy by 2050 (15% by 2035). 

•       Chile to become an exporter of green hydrogen and its derivatives by 2030

Public Consultation and second round of Regional Workshops

The document will soon be submitted for public consultation; to participate in this process, please visit the Energy Ministry's website: energia.gob.cl/energia2050.

To boost participation during the public consultation, the Energy Ministry will carry out a second round of workshops across Chile to communicate the results of the previous participatory activities to citizens and receive their comments.