translated from Spanish: The Minister Jimenez short

On April 16 the Minister of energy, Susana Jiménez, Instagram showed an image which worried their loved. Lying on the floor with an apparent injury on his face, bleeding and with rasmilladuras in the legs. I had had an accident in bicycle.
“Sometimes the sport makes us a dirty trick. On Sunday I gave myself a good whack! But we are in the process of recovery to return with all the energy. Thank you for all the love received”.  The message was accompanied by a photo of Jiménez in the clinic.
Despite the apparent bruises and wounds, 48 hours after Energy Minister stood before television cameras and made an announcement to try to turn off, at least in the urgent, the political fire that was the subject of light meters for the currency. “We have listened to citizens and especially to parliamentarians of Chile are going, and as Government we have proposed that the replacement of meters will be voluntary for people and this will be done through a change to the technical standard of quality service” , said Jimenez, who interrupted his medical license that day to that point of the press in Congress.
During the Conference, the Minister Jimenez explained the details of the “short law” that the Government will run ad that took totally by surprise to the companies in the sector and let out, the iron-fisted control of the agenda that is making the currency in the Ministry of energy, as a result of the controversy that triggered the installation of smart meters.
One of the surprised, Senator Alejandro Guillier said that he thanked the Minister have attended despite not being in health conditions to do so. “The Secretary could answer the questions and I would like that the Minister could withdraw because obviously we hope your prompt improvement and are grateful that you are present, but let’s make a deal that you can remove and recover”, said one of the present. Jimenez thanked and answered the last question.
The next day, President Sebastián Piñera led an extensive Cabinet Council, which Jimenez came despite being licensed. Out of all standard labor and mottled, was praised by his peers. “The commitment of the Minister Susana Jiménez which, after a serious accident, for his commitment to the Government, for his commitment to the President, but above all for its commitment to the Chileans, for their dedication to public service suspended his medical license,” said that day, spokeswoman Cecilia Pérez.
The personality of Minister Jimenez has not helped much. They describe her as a person very intelligent in numbers, but highly suspicious. They say that not like the former Deputy Director of the public policy of freedom and development sharing too much information with your team, which has been surprised by some of the definitions of the last few weeks. He prefers to pass instructions written or verbal, not to use Messaging to avoid any risk of leakage.
But in reality things were not so simple for Energy Minister. Palace sources said that Jimenez had no choice, that there was an express mandate – and no margin to reject it – with or without a medical license should be she that lead the press with the ad point and attend the next day, the Council’s Cabinet.
The reason was the discomfort that had in the currency with the erratic handling in the case of smart meters, which hit strong performance management piñerista polls in recent weeks. “They forced her, they made her go to move your face, paying all the costs,” said a government source.
Although it is known that there is a strong control from Secom to Ministers, especially sectoral do have, it has been the second floor of La Moneda – whose Chief of advisers is Cristian Larroulet – which has taken total control of the agenda of the Ministry of energy , particularly related to the smart meter, because it considered that tore from hands to Jimenez. Who knew the back of those days, said the Minister, without much room to himself, referred to follow instructions received from Palace, which had almost no intervention in the decision and that only knew the content of the ad a few hours before appearing in front of the television cameras.
Business trouble
Said that energy Minister has done short is not a phrase to the pass, but it reflects the complex time Jimenez through a series of mistakes that have taken her to have complex relationships with the companies in their sector and in parallel losing your credit line to its own Government.
In the companies in the industry do not forget to were surprised by the announcement of Jimenez on the voluntary nature of the installation of smart meters, mostly because the path adopted by the Government puts them in a complex scenario.
Among the companies in the energy industry, they consider Jimenez knows a lot, is an economist of recognized trajectory and is “over-sophisticated” for the post.  But his political skills–or the lack of them in practice–are that have played him a trick during his time in the Ministry, especially in these days.
Before leaving Monday 22 to tour China and Korea in the South, President Piñera Jimenez met with the Minister. Thereafter, and during the week, the Secretary of State cited two times companies distributors meetings.
Monday slipped something that fell like a bucket of cold water, independent that there are divergent positions among the same companies: the Government wants companies to return money if smart meter was installed to. A kind of compensation. This Thursday 25 returned to quote them to the Ministry.
“It is unusual to ask for goodwill. Companies modeled all of our costs on the basis of a law which made the Parliament, Furthermore, established by instructions, a compulsory change in seven years. And now what do do? We get to make calculations that then the law will not or does not apply? It is a madness, explains that to shareholders. It makes no sense”, said a source of the business sector.
The companies are concerned the lack of seriousness with which the Government has sought the issue of monitors and also share the diagnosis that the handling of the situation has been erratic. However, they recognize that he has played them against all have different positions, which has prevented them from having a single speech to the authority. Enel, for example, was by supporting the Government by participating in the technical table, even though the relationship with the Italian company tensed when the Minister Jimenez ran with own colors: put price gauges and then announced that the law was in virtually nothing.
Chilectra, meanwhile, is for sale and the lack of clarity with what happens with the regulations inconvenient to signature, thus affecting the margins of utility. On the other hand, CGE has little box and has been more cautious when talking about any kind of compensation.
The personality of Minister Jimenez has not helped much. They describe her as a person very intelligent in numbers, but highly suspicious. They say that not like the former Deputy Director of the public policy of freedom and development sharing too much information with your team, which has been surprised by some of the definitions of the last few weeks. He prefers to pass instructions written or verbal, not to use Messaging to avoid any risk of leakage.
The “downpour” of rates
Rumors of a Cabinet change dissipated a bit after the last Cabinet, although the spokeswoman warned that President Piñera was evaluated one by one to the Ministers, who were all at the sight, especially Jimenez. It is that the controversy of the meter fails to turn off, then that the instruction of the Government was that Minister negotiated compensation to clients, something that, in the sector, seem ridiculous.
Given his weak political position, a blow on the waterline of the Minister could be – but they shield it properly – the new tariff Decree, which already has secured would imply an increase in accounts of the light up to 25%. This Decree will regulate the prices as regards the generation of energy (a key part of the costs of light).
“A bill drawn up by experts circulated in Congress points out that the increase would be greater and that, for example, in Santiago, the higher pole of consumption in the country – will reach 20.8%, in concept it will be 18%,” said a note from El Mercurio in relation to the subject.
Pinera acknowledged the rise, although to a lesser extent and sent Jimenez to negotiate with generating companies, the increase is made in two batches. That, while decree had been extremely delayed in see, according to the players in the industry. “When rising we will explain clear and strong which is the Government is than fixed rates, companies marginalized by this concept and that do not put the price,” said a source of the market.
Upward is explained by the effect of the exchange rate of the dollar, but also by the entry into force of “expensive” contracts that were in the queue. Including Central Campesino, an agreement which is tendered in 2014 at an average price of above $ 110 MWh.
The Minister for Jimenez said that the Government has particular concern for this latest contract and that it could even invalidate it. This alternative seems very remote, considering that it is a contract between private and on the other hand, it has been estimated that the incidence of peasant in the rates represents only 4% of the total rise in rates, leaving even a significant margin of rise, which, with all It will eventually rebound on the image of the head of the Ministry of energy.

Original source in Spanish