Coquimbo opens citizen participation for the Amolanas Park transmission line

The Environmental Evaluation Service of the Coquimbo Region has initiated a 20-business-day public participation process within the environmental evaluation of the Environmental Impact Declaration for the project “Modification of the Amolanas Hybrid Park Transmission System,” owned by Pacific Hydro Chile S.A. The decision is contained in exempt resolution No. 20260400103, dated September 15, 2026, and was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in Section I, under official reference CVE 2875810.

The notice was disseminated by the Ministry of the Environment through the Coquimbo Environmental Evaluation Service, in accordance with the provisions of Article 94 of DS No. 40/2012, which approves the Regulations of the Environmental Impact Evaluation System. The process is also supported by Article 30 bis of Law No. 19,300, the regulation governing community participation in the evaluation of these types of initiatives.

Deadlines and methods of participation

• The public participation period is 20 business days, counted from the date of publication of the notice in the Official Gazette.
• Any person, natural or legal, may submit observations regarding the project in accordance with Article 95 of DS No. 40/2012.
• The full text of exempt resolution No. 20260400103 can be consulted on the website www.sea.gob.cl.
• The resolution was issued by the Regional Director of the Environmental Evaluation Service of the Coquimbo Region, Erwin Gajardo Pizarro.

A 220 kV line towards Punta Sierra

The project consists of the modification of the “Amolanas Hybrid Park” project, approved via RCA No. 20220400195/2022, specifically regarding its connection system to the National Electric System (SEN). The initiative includes:

• The construction of a transmission line with a nominal voltage level of 220 kV.
• A maximum capacity of 260 MVA.
• An approximate length of 6.25 km.
• The connection between the Amolanas Substation and the Punta Sierra Substation, the latter already existing, from where the energy injection into the National Electric System (SEN) will take place.

Location and territorial scope

The work will be located in the Coquimbo Region, Limarí Province, Ovalle Commune. This is a limited modification to the transmission system of an already approved hybrid park; therefore, the evaluation focuses on the effects of the new electrical infrastructure and its layout within the communal territory.

The process opens the door for neighbors, social organizations, and stakeholders in the area to submit grounded observations within the legal timeframe, which must be considered by the Environmental Evaluation Service during the processing of the Environmental Impact Declaration.

The opening of this citizen participation period is relevant because it provides the community of Ovalle with a formal instance to comment on the electrical connection of a renewable generation project, within a context of growing transmission infrastructure development in the Coquimbo Region. The period of 20 business days runs from the publication of the notice; therefore, observations must be submitted within that margin to the Environmental Evaluation Service of the Coquimbo Region.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,557, Thursday, September 24, 2026, Section I, p. 1 (official reference: CVE 2875810).