- The event examined the operational and regulatory adjustments needed for the power system to make efficient use of its growing storage capacity, as well as the market signals required to move toward greater competitiveness.
Santiago, August 13, 2026. Under the title "Power System Flexibility in Chile: Operation and Regulation for an Efficient Transition," the seminar brought together more than three hundred attendees in the Aula Magna of UC Central Campus, who heard leading players from the electricity sector analyze the progress and challenges facing Chile's power system, particularly the growing impact of storage systems and the role of regulation in enabling an energy transition that leads to an increasingly secure, resilient and competitive grid.
The event, jointly organized by EDF power solutions and the UC Energy Center (Centro de Energía UC), was led by Chile's Undersecretary of Energy, Hugo Briones; the Secretary General of Universidad Católica, Juan Eduardo Ibáñez; the CEO of EDF power solutions Chile, Joan Leal; and the director of the Centro de Energía, Félix Rojas, who noted that now in its fourth edition, the seminar has become an essential forum for public-private dialogue on issues central to the energy sector and the country's development.
During the opening remarks, Joan Leal highlighted the growth of storage systems in Chile, whose installed capacity rose from 73 MW in 2023 to more than 3 GW in 2026, and is expected to reach between 6 and 7 GW by year-end. In this context, he stressed that "for Chile to seize this opportunity, we must move decisively toward clear rules, proper recognition of the attributes these technologies provide, and market signals that remain sustainable over time."
For his part, Félix Rojas emphasized that the integration of storage and timely regulation are essential to the energy transition, noting that "if we get this right, we can not only become a global success story in terms of power system flexibility and efficiency, but also have a direct impact on the cost of energy for the country."
The event opened with presentations by Jaime Gallegos, Head of the Electricity Markets Division at the Ministry of Energy, and Danilo Zurita, Head of the Electricity Department at the National Energy Commission, who set out the current landscape of BESS storage systems and Chile's national power system. This was followed by two panels addressing operational and regulatory issues, respectively. In the first panel, Rodrigo Espinoza (CEN), Angela Flores (Universidad de Chile), Elías Valenzuela (EDF power solutions) and Vannia Toro (Copec EMOAC) reviewed the technologies and ancillary services needed to make system operation more flexible. This was followed by a panel featuring Juan Pablo Ávalos (CEN), Alex Santander (Generadoras de Chile), Rodrigo Moreno (UAI) and Matías Negrete (UC), who discussed the regulatory and market changes required to support the expansion of storage capacity and enable the system to continue advancing on flexibility and efficiency.