- The power plant will be disconnected in May 2022, nearly two decades prior to the commitment made in the National Decarbonization Plan.
- This means that in 2022, Enel Chile will be the first company in the country to stop all coal-based generation.
Santiago, Thursday, July 23, 2020 The National Energy Council (CNE) authorized Enel Generación Chile S.A., to proceed with the final decommissioning, disconnection and termination of operations of the Bocamina II (350 MW) generation unit in May 2022. This milestone was initially scheduled for 2040, but in late May the company formally asked the authority for authorization to move it forward. Last July 6th, the CNE authorized the final decommissioning of Bocamina I (128MW) by December 31, 2020.
“We are gradually starting to write the final chapters of the history of Bocamina. We are living in a new age, and we are convinced that the energy transition we are leading will open up great opportunities, to continue moving towards a cleaner and more efficient matrix and a more intelligent use of energy,” explains Paolo Pallotti, CEO of Enel Chile.
This past May 27th, the board of directors of Enel Generación Chile agreed to push up the final disconnection of the two Bocamina units, considering that the change in context would allow the company to prematurely fulfill its commitment acquired with the country upon signing the National Decarbonization Plan.
“For Bocamina -just as in the closure of the Tarapacá Plant, whose coal-powered unit was decommissioned in December 2019- we will also carry out a relocation plan for all of our employees. At the same time, we will perform an analysis to determine the energy reconversion potential of the facilities or find the best use for the land, according to the goal of land development,” states Michele Siciliano, CEO of Enel Generación.
As part of our strategy to move towards a cleaner energy matrix, Enel Chile is making progress in the development of the projects included in its Industrial Plan. These initiatives are aimed at adding a total of 2 GW in renewable installed capacity by 2022.