translated from Spanish: Piñera inaugurates transmission line that strengthens Chile’s electricity system

President Sebastián Piñera, inaugurated on Thursday in the A new 753-kilometre electric transmission line in the country will strengthen the integration of its main interconnected systems, the representative said.
It is the Cardones-Polpaico transmission line, which demanded an investment of $1 billion, which unites the Northern Big Interconnected System (SING) and the Central Interconnected System (SIC), which supplies the center and south of the southern country.
During the ceremony, held in Copiapó, Piñera emphasized that it is one of the most important works carried out in electric transmission in the last 30 years in the country.
He further stated that one of his Government’s goals was to build three new roads linking the country, one traditional for vehicles, one digital and one electric.
An integrated electrical system, he argued, “gives the country more security, because if we have energy deficits somewhere and surplus in another, as we often happened, we will now be able to use the surpluses to cover the deficits.”
The new line “will provide more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) of energy (…) 50% of the metropolitan region’s consumption,” the representative stressed.
This region, which includes Santiago, the country’s capital, exceeds 7 million inhabitants and concentrates more than 40% of the country’s workforce.
With the launch of this new line, Chile’s National Electricity System was connected to 500 kilowatts (Kw) through a total of 1,728 high-voltage towers, deployed in 20 communes in the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaiso and Metropolitana.
“Being able to transmit this cheap energy from the north to the rest of the country, it will mean a decrease in costs and in light bills for all Chilean families,” Piñera said.
According to government sources, one of the main benefits of the new line is that around 5.7 million homes will receive electricity from renewable power plants located in northern Chile, especially solar and wind.
Renewable energy rose from 32.8% of Chile’s energy matrix in 2013 to 45.5% in 2018 and is expected to reach 70% by 2030.
In the indicated period, solar generation increased more than 750 times, while wind increased sevenfold.
In 2018, investment in the energy sector accounted for 21% of total investment in the country and 65 power generation projects, equivalent to 3,653 MW obtained their environmental approval.

Original source in Spanish