In a context in which Chile has set ambitious goals to advance the energy transition, such as covering 80% of electricity demand with renewable energies by 2030 and completely closing coal-fired power plants by 2040, EDF power solutions Chile organized, together with the UC Energy Center, the seminar “Advances and challenges for a more flexible and robust electricity system”.
The event, held on Thursday, August 14, in the Aula Magna of the UC Central Campus, was a key opportunity to reflect on the progress, challenges, and projections of the national electricity system. The event was led by Álvaro Videla, director of the UC Energy Center, and Joan Leal, CEO of EDF power solutions Chile, who highlighted that now in its third edition, this seminar has become an excellent opportunity to bring together different actors in the energy sector around key issues for the country.
Joan Leal emphasized the importance of incorporating greater flexibility as a necessary condition for moving forward with a serious and responsible decarbonization process that does not jeopardize the security of the electricity system. “The fact that the country currently has more than 1.3 GW of BESS battery systems in operation and 5 GW under construction is excellent news, but this obviously presents both operational and regulatory challenges, which were addressed in depth during the conference.”
In turn, Álvaro Videla, professor of engineering and director of the UC Energy Center, stressed that “we must anticipate the challenges facing the electrical system due to the high penetration of variable renewable generation systems, in order to guarantee users safety and reliability in the future.”
The event featured presentations by Johanna Monteiro, 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 reviewed the progress made by the country in valuing and incentivizing flexibility as an attribute of the electricity system, and referred to the current process of reviewing the operating regulations and modifying the complementary services report.
The panel “Operational Challenges: Diagnosis and Contribution of New Technologies,” featuring Rodrigo Espinoza (CEN), Jorge Moreno (Inodú), Samuel Córdova (PUC), Claudia Rahmann (U. de Chile), and Matías Negrete (PUC), addressed the current and future technical operating conditions of the electricity system, analyzing aspects associated with the strength of the grid. Meanwhile, the panel on “Regulatory adjustments to promote the development of a flexible and robust electricity system,” which included the participation of Camilo Charme (Generadoras de Chile), Carlos Suazo (SPEC), Marco Peirano (EDF power solutions), and David Watts (CEUC), addressed regulatory aspects associated with the operation of the system, in addition to reviewing the signals required by the market to move forward with investments that promote flexibility.