Anglo American, Codelco, Corfo, and Engie Chile agree that the energy transition requires strengthening transmission, streamlining permitting, and fostering public-private collaboration

During Latam Mobility Cono Sur 2026, the panel discussion “Transformation of the engines of the economy: transition to cleaner technologies by Chile’s large companies” brought together key players from the mining, energy, and public sectors to analyze the progress, challenges, and opportunities of decarbonization in the country’s main industries.

Moderated by Lorenzo Reyes, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Business at Universidad de Las Américas, the panel featured Alfredo Olivares, Director of Sustainable Energy Management at Codelco; Nicolás Arriagada Urzúa, Decarbonization Specialist at Anglo American; René Sepúlveda, Technical Executive at Corfo‘s Technological Programs Directorate; and Pilar Acevedo, Managing Director of Power Networks at Engie Chile.

The conversation tackled transmission infrastructure, permitting, energy storage, electromobility in mining, Corfo’s role in innovation, and the challenge of training new professionals in the context of the energy transition.

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Challenges in Transmission, Permitting, and Regulation

The panel opened with a look at the current state of Chile’s energy transition. Pilar Acevedo from Engie Chile noted that the country has significantly expanded its installed renewable generation capacity, but she issued a warning: transmission infrastructure is the key to actually putting that energy to use.

“A heart without arteries can’t do anything. No matter how hard it pumps, if we can’t transmit this energy and get it where it needs to go, we’ll increase curtailment and create inefficiency,” she stated. She added that permitting and regulation must rise to the occasion to provide the certainty that long-term investments require.

René Sepúlveda from Corfo reinforced this point from the State’s perspective, pointing out that regulation has been built through public-private collaboration. He stressed that public-private cooperation is the essential stepping stone for scaling clean technologies and that environmental permitting is an issue that demands thorough attention.

Nicolás Arriagada from Anglo American agreed that generation and transmission are critical, but he added a third pillar: demand. “With that piece solved, we need to help drive this demand, and we can do that through charging infrastructure and mobile equipment,” he explained. He pointed out that freight transport isn’t failing because electric trucks don’t exist—it’s failing because there’s nowhere to charge them. He called for the development of collaborative charging points and on-route infrastructure.

Alfredo Olivares from Codelco echoed those ideas and introduced a third line of work: promotion and financing. “We’re at a point where these technologies are starting to become competitive—we have to enable them. We’ve had to adapt our business models. Tenders that used to run for 5 years for personnel transport, we’ve had to extend to 7- to 10-year terms so the equipment can be properly amortized,” he said.

Storage and Operational Continuity: The Challenges of Variable Renewable Energy

The moderator steered the conversation toward the operational challenges posed by the variability of non-conventional renewables. Alfredo Olivares from Codelco highlighted that the company already sources over 80% of its energy from renewables and projects reaching 100% by 2030. He explained that supply contracts must include backup provisions, and that their suppliers are already incorporating batteries to guarantee 24/7 continuity. “Our operations do not stop,” he emphasized.

Nicolás Arriagada from Anglo American noted that his company has been running on renewable energy since 2021, but he cautioned that the challenge is no longer just having renewable energy certificates—it’s about demonstrating 24/7 renewable supply, in line with updated GHG Protocol standards. He added that, operating in Chile’s central zone, physical space for installing batteries is limited, so solutions will have to come from energy suppliers.

Pilar Acevedo from Engie Chile explained that the company is tackling these challenges with generation-plus-storage projects, incorporating batteries into wind and solar parks, as well as synchronous condensers to maintain system stability. “Today, we’re increasingly seeing projects that include batteries,” she said, emphasizing that grid reliability is essential to delivering competitive renewable energy to industrial clients—especially mining.

René Sepúlveda from Corfo recalled that the State’s role is to reduce technological uncertainty. Thanks to Corfo’s instruments and the R&D law—which generated $75 billion in savings for companies last year—investments in renewables can now move forward with greater confidence.

Electromobility in Mining: Concrete Advances at Codelco and Anglo American

Both mining companies shared their electromobility experiences. Alfredo Olivares from Codelco revealed that the company has a fleet of over 230 electric buses, and that the most notable success story is the more than 100 buses manufactured in Chile for the El Teniente Division—the result of a local startup that has since grown into a full-fledged factory.

“We’re moving forward and pushing for more, fully convinced that these technologies can help us run cleaner and more cost-effective operations,” he stated.

Nicolás Arriagada from Anglo American highlighted that the company was a pioneer in operating the largest electric bus fleet in Chile and has piloted 4×4 pickup trucks, tractor-trailers, and electric machinery. They also shared experiences with green hydrogen, including building a hydrogen taxi bus and a hydrogen refueling station together with Colbún and other partners. “This space is incredibly dynamic, and we will make mistakes—and from those mistakes, we have to learn, and learn fast,” he reflected.

Competitiveness, Innovation, and Talent Attraction: The Industry’s Vision

René Sepúlveda focused on Corfo’s role not just as a financier, but as an enabler of productive reconversion. “It would be very sad if we decarbonized, bought equipment from abroad, changed our energy matrix, and that was the end of it,” he warned.

He explained that the energy transition generates enormous demand for suppliers and stakeholders, and that this creates an opportunity to develop national manufacturing, homegrown technology, and a sophisticated industry that could even export services to neighbors like Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia. He also mentioned the potential of artificial intelligence applied to logistics and energy savings, noting that Chile already has two major supercomputing centers. “Let’s not view decarbonization merely as removing something from the atmosphere. This is a productive development opportunity for Chile,” he concluded.

Pilar Acevedo from Engie Chile stressed that sustainability is no longer just an environmental issue—it’s a driver of competitive growth. Investments in renewables and storage are well-regarded by investors, and Chile has impressive generation capacity that hasn’t yet been fully tapped. “There are investors willing to put money into solutions, into development and innovation, and to bring those advancements to the country,” she stated.

Nicolás Arriagada from Anglo American shared that the company is now incorporating decarbonization, energy efficiency, circular economy, and diversity criteria into its tendering requirements—evaluating suppliers not only on price but on their ability to contribute to sustainability. “It’s no longer just rhetoric; it’s a fact,” he underscored.

Alfredo Olivares from Codelco detailed the company’s innovation process, which moves from early-stage work with universities and research centers (such as the Institute for Clean Technologies) to commercial pilots with suppliers, and finally to scaling up. He noted that, in the case of El Teniente—the world’s largest underground mine—there isn’t much global development to draw from, so Codelco has to be more ambitious in its own innovation efforts.

The Challenge of Training New Professionals

In the final stretch of the panel, moderator Lorenzo Reyes asked about the challenges the energy transition poses to higher education.

Pilar Acevedo was emphatic: “Academia combined with industry is fundamental.” She noted that the industry needs professionals with expertise in technology, cybersecurity, control center management, digitalization, and complex project leadership—and she made a call for inclusion and diversity: “Today, we need the energy and mining sectors to be more inclusive. We need more women in systems careers so they can be brought in to manage these complex projects.”

René Sepúlveda from Corfo added that multidisciplinary professionals are in demand—”hydrogen engineers,” “BESS engineers”—and that technical and vocational training must also be aligned with industry needs. He stressed that technology transfer must be collaborative from the start: “Industry has to be involved in shaping the question that’s going to be transferred. It can’t be that industry comes to academia to solve the problem and then just buys the solution.”

Nicolás Arriagada from Anglo American shared that the company is presenting concrete challenges to educational institutions such as DUOC, INACAP, and others—not for them to solve the problems outright, but so that those schools become aware of the skills they should strengthen, and to foster interconnection and collaborative work across institutions. He cited the challenge of second-life applications for electric bus batteries as an area where research is still needed.

Alfredo Olivares from Codelco closed with a call not to repeat past mistakes, when there was talk of tidal energy 15 years ago and people were trained for a technology that wasn’t yet viable. “It’s important to carefully observe trends and technologies, and to prepare and work collaboratively between training institutions and the private sector,” he concluded.

The panel made it clear that Chile’s energy transition is not exclusively technological. It involves investment, regulation, new capabilities, public-private collaboration, and a focus on the end user and society.

Next Stop: Latam Mobility México 2026

The Latam Mobility 2026 Tour continues its regional journey with Latam Mobility México 2026, a must-attend stop in the Mexican capital scheduled for October 12–13, 2026.

This event is shaping up as the year’s grand finale for the sector, bringing together public, private, academic, and civil society leaders from across Latin America to drive the transition toward cleaner, more efficient, and inclusive mobility.

Mexico—with its fast-growing EV market and strategic regional position—will provide the perfect setting to dive deeper into charging infrastructure, new business models, regulation, and public-private collaboration.

The date is set for Mexico City, where the future of sustainable mobility will continue to be written with active participation from every stakeholder in the ecosystem.

Latam Mobility thus reaffirms its commitment to being the region’s premier hub for energy transition and networking—connecting the ideas, projects, and people who are transforming the way we move.