ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Chile's electrified energy policy (1935 to 2024)

• In Event: Wires Across Borders: Transnational Perspectives on Electrical Histories

English Abstract

In Chile, public policy on electricity has been high on the political agenda on energy policy, with discussions surrounding the expansion of electricity production since the late 1930s. This paper proposes that, since then, electricity has played a prominent role in Chile´s energy policy and imaginaries of the future, yet its share of total energy consumption has been minor. The paper explores this paradox and its relations with international role models and the circulation of technology, know-how and funding. Electricity represents an image of a modern and prosperous future, connected to ways of living according to standards from the rich countries of the North. From the outset of the discussion, it was argued that electricity was a prerequisite for development and that it should be expanded to promote industrial growth and the well-being of the population. The paper examines the treatment of electricity in Chilean energy policy and its connections with transnational imaginaries, international technology transfers and international funding by analysing public policy instruments, official speeches, and archival materials related to the construction and evolution of energy policy over time. The discussion problematizes the “electrification” of energy policies and its consequences for the energy sector. Electricity has been a minor part of energy consumption in Chile, but it dominates future projections and is the main component in energy sector planning instruments. The electricity sector has undergone significant changes during the period under review, which this presentation examines within the context of changes in the whole energy mix.

Author

• Cecilia Ibarra, Universidad de Chile