Chile's total primary energy supply (TPES) was 36.10 Mtoe in 2014. Energy in Chile is dominated by fossil fuels, with coal, oil and gas accounting for 73.4% of the total primary energy. Biofuels and waste account for another 20.5% of primary energy supply, with the rest sourced from hydro and other renewables. Electricity consumption was 68.90 TWh in 2014. Main sources of electricity in Chile are hydroelectricity, gas, oil and coal.

Renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

in the forms of wind and

solar energy Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essenti ...

are also coming into use, encouraged by collaboration since 2009 with the United States Department of Energy. The electricity industry is privatized with ENDESA as the largest company in the field.

Electricity

The electricity sector in Chile relies mainly on hydro-electric power generation (33% of installed capacity as of May, 2012),Installed Capacity in Chile
Central Energía: Up-to-date information of the power capacity installed in Chile. Retrieved 15-05-2012 oil (13%), gas (30%) and coal (20%). Wind has a small but growing presence with 198 MW. Faced with natural gas shortages that have the potential to jeopardize electricity supply, Chile is currently building its first

LNG Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volu ...

terminal to secure a supply for its existing and upcoming gas-fired thermal plants. In addition, it has engaged in the construction of several new hydropower and coal-fired thermal plants. Chile’s successful electricity sector reform, which served as a model for other countries, was carried out in the first half of the 1980s. Vertical and horizontal unbundling of generation,

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission *** ...

and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

and large scale privatization led to soaring private investment. However, in recent years, there has been a substantial modification of the 1982 Electricity Act, to bring it line with developments of the last 20 years in the sector. This was the result of a pressing need to change. The main companies involved, in terms of installed capacity, are the following: *

Enel Generación Chile Enel Generación Chile S.A., formerly known as Endesa Chile and Empresa Nacional de Electricidad, is the largest Electric power transmission, electric Public utility, utility company in Chile. It was created as a subsidiary of the state-owned CO ...

(formerly ENDESA; 35%, 6085 MW) *

AES Andes AES Andes S.A., formerly AES Gener S.A., is a producer and distributor of electricity based in Santiago, Chile. It is a subsidiary of American Company AES Corporation which operates in South America's Andes region. History The business, formerly ...

(18%, 3157 MW) *

Colbún S.A. Colbún is a Public utility, utility company in Chile engaged in the electric power transmission segment. The company was created in 1982 and privatized in 1997. Originally it had only two hydroelectric plants, Machicura and Colbún Hydroelectric ...

(15%, 2621 MW) *

Suez Energy Andino Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same bou ...

(12%, 2176 MW) * E.E. Guacolda (3%, 610 MW) *

Pacific Hydro Pacific Hydro is a renewable energy company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The company was founded in 1992 and was soon floated on the Australian Stock Exchange, it was later bought by a consortium of industry superannuation funds and ...

(3%, 551 MW) A number of other companies account for the remaining 14% (2418 MW)

Projects

Since the introduction of the so-calle
"short law II"
investments in generation have risen greatly. Currently, there are generation projects amounting to over 26,000 MW, in different stages of development. In 2013, Total S.A. announced the world's largest unsubsidised

solar farm Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

would be installed with assistance from SunPower Corp into Chile's Atacama desert.

Renewable energy and energy efficiency

USDOE announced on June 23, 2009 that U.S. Energy Secretary Chu has signed a

Memorandum of Cooperation A memorandum ( : memoranda; abbr: memo; from the Latin ''memorandum'', "(that) which is to be remembered") is a written message that is typically used in a professional setting. Commonly abbreviated "memo," these messages are usually brief a ...

with Minister

Marcelo Tokman Marcelo Tokman Ramos (born 8 June 1967) is a Chilean economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and c ...

of the

Chilean National Energy Commission Chilean may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Chile, a country in South America * Chilean people * Chilean Spanish * Chilean culture * Chilean cuisine * Chilean Americans See also * List of Chileans * {{disambig Language a ...

to further collaboration between the two nations. The memorandum establishes an institutional framework between Chile and the United States, allowing DOE to provide its technical expertise in support of a new

Renewable Energy Center A renewable resource, also known as a flow resource, is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion resource depletion, depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a ...

in Chile. The new center will work to identify developments and best practices in

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

technologies from around the world, disseminating its findings within Chile and throughout the region. The two countries will also collaborate on other high-priority energy issues, including

energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a ra ...

technologies and the establishment of two pilot solar power projects in northern Chile.

References

External links

National Energy CommissionEnergy Chile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Energy In Chile