Review and assessment of energy policy developments in Chile

Abstract

In recent years, the Chilean energy sector has gone through a significant transformation. Chile ratified the ParisAgreement in 2017 and committed to develop policies to face climate change and to transition to a more sus-tainable energy system. Promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency became an essential strategy forChile to reduce emissions and reach its energy and environmental goals, which are addressed in various gov-ernmental studies. Further, Chile became successful in promoting renewable electricity production without feed-in tariffs. The current national goal is for at least 70% of the electricity in Chile to be generated from renewableenergy sources by 2050. Additionally, energy efficiency is to be implemented in several sectors. This paperprovides a broad overview of the energy sector and review of the Chilean energy policy development andenvironmental targets with emphasis on recent years. Finally, it also proposes an assessment about existing andrequired energy policy instruments for Chilean energy sectors by considering the promotion of renewable energyand energy efficiency and analyses the associated potential challenges. This work can provide insights to de-cision makers to develop long-term sustainable energy plans for Chile to reach its energy and environmentalgoals.