Ministry of Energy grants definitive concession to the Kimal electrical link

The Ministry of Energy granted Conexión Kimal Lo Aguirre S.A. the definitive electrical concession to establish the electrical energy transmission project called “Kimal 2x220 kV Alternating Current Link”, in the Antofagasta Region, Tocopilla province, María Elena commune. The decision is contained in exempt decree No. 194, dated August 12, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,538, on Monday, August 31, 2026, in Section II of Particular Regulations (official reference CVE 2862429).

The administrative act is issued by virtue of articles 11 and 29 of the General Law of Electrical Services (DFL No. 4/20.018, of 2006) and is supported by the report of the Superintendency of Electricity and Fuels (SEC), electronic ordinary letter No. 342120, dated July 17, 2026. The decree was signed by order of the President of the Republic by Hugo Briones Fernández, Acting Minister of Energy, and transcribed by Andrea Verónica Soto Araya, Head of the Legal Division of the Undersecretariat of Energy.

A key link for the national transmission system

The project is part of the larger new work called “New Kimal – Lo Aguirre HVDC Line”, whose objective is to increase the security of the national transmission system, enable large energy transfers between the Northern and Center-South zones of the country, eliminate congestion, and reduce energy curtailments from solar and wind plants.

The link includes two 220 kV transmission lines, each with a double circuit, connecting the Kimal Substation and its projected expansion with the Kimal Converter Substation, to inject energy into the National Electrical System (SEN). The concession lengths are:

• Circuits 1 and 2: 1,964.92 meters of electrical concession.
• Circuits 3 and 4: 2,854.16 meters of electrical concession.

Budget, easements, and deadlines

The total budget for the works amounts to $329,018,132,691 (three hundred twenty-nine billion eighteen million one hundred thirty-two thousand six hundred ninety-one Chilean pesos). Along its route, the project will cross a government property, therefore an electrical easement is established over the property “Extensión de Terrenos Calama”, owned by the Treasury of Chile, in the commune of María Elena.

The concession is granted for an indefinite term, and the execution and completion of the works are estimated at 42 months, a period that will begin to run 180 days after the publication of the decree in the Official Gazette. The project includes crossings and parallelisms with existing lines of Transelec S.A. and Sociedad Austral de Transmisión Troncal S.A., which must be executed in accordance with current regulations.

Relevance for the region

The definitive concession clears the legal framework for an energy infrastructure of high regional impact, which will connect the mining north with the rest of the national electrical system. As it is a transmission concession, the act is exempt from the review process (toma de razón) of the Comptroller General of the Republic, according to Resolution No. 36 of 2024, which expedites its entry into force and the commencement of works in the commune of María Elena.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,538, August 31, 2026, Section II (Particular Norms), pgs. 1-4 (official reference: CVE 2862429).