Energía establishes the official methodology for the electricity emission factor

The Ministry of Energy established the official methodology for calculating the operational emission factor and the residual emission factor of the National Electric System (SEN), as well as the operational emission factor for Medium Systems. This was done through exempt resolution No. 61, signed in Santiago on September 17, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,561 on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in Section I of General Norms (CVE 2875848). The factors will be calculated and published by the ministry itself.

The regulation is issued under decree law No. 2,224 of 1978, which creates the Ministry of Energy and the National Energy Commission, and Law No. 21,455, the Climate Change Framework Law. The act invokes international commitments adopted through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement, promulgated by supreme decrees No. 123 of 1995, No. 349 of 2004, and No. 30 of 2017, all from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The text responds to previous commitments of the ministry: the National Energy Policy 2050, the Sectoral Plan for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change in Energy (applicable supreme decree No. 91 of 2024), and the Green Hydrogen Action Plan 2023-2030 (applicable decree No. 76 of 2024). The stated objective is to avoid double counting of scope 2 emissions and ensure transparency and comparability of data.

What is calculated and by what method

The methodology is applied based on the Level 1 Stationary Combustion method of Volume 2 of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines. Greenhouse gases considered are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), using the 2006 IPCC default emission factors and the 100-year global warming potentials from the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).

The residual emission factor of the National Electric System discounts renewable generation tracked through the National Registry of Renewable Energies (Renova), a platform managed by the National Electric Coordinator. The default CO2 emission factors for biofuels (biogas and biomass) are considered zero.

The thresholds that define each system are:

• National Electric System (SEN): interconnected system with installed generation capacity equal to or greater than 200 megawatts.
• Medium Systems (SSMM): systems with installed capacity less than 200 megawatts and greater than 1,500 kilowatts.

The conversion from higher to lower heating value uses factors by fuel: 0.90 for biogas, natural gas, LPG, and LNG, and 0.95 for biomass, coal, petroleum coke, diesel oil, and No. 6 fuel oil.

Publication deadlines

The Ministry of Energy will report the factors through its institutional website, with the following frequency:

• Monthly emission factor of the SEN: during the calendar month following the reported month.
• Annual emission factor of the SEN: during February of the following year.
• Annual residual emission factor of the SEN: during September of the following year.
• Monthly emission factors of the Medium Systems: during the third calendar month following the reported month.
• Annual emission factors of the Medium Systems: during April of the following year.

The methodology comes into effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

Information Sources

The calculations will be based on public data from the National Energy Commission and the National Electrical Coordinator: monthly net electrical generation of the SEN and of each medium system, fuel consumption destined for generation, renewable generation tracked in Renova, and density and higher heating values from the most updated National Energy Balance.

The act bears the signature of Ximena Rincón González, Minister of Energy, and was transcribed by Andrea Verónica Soto Araya, Head of the Legal Division of the Undersecretariat of Energy.

The resolution provides generators, large consumers, and project developers with a single and official basis to report carbon footprints, issue green bonds, and certify climate commitments, in addition to providing technical support for green hydrogen certification. By establishing formulas, data sources, and publication calendars, it reduces discretion in the calculation of scope 2 emissions and allows for the comparison of the performance of the Chilean generation fleet year by year.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,561, Tuesday, September 29, 2026, Section I, General Norms, pp. 1-6 (official reference: CVE 2875848).