The report “State of Fossil Fuels in Chile” published by UNO.CINCO presents a snapshot of the current landscape to support Chile’s transition toward energy security and sovereignty by shifting away from fossil fuels. The report further highlights the following:
- Renewable energy has not replaced fossil fuels; it has grown alongside them. Despite having an electricity system that is more than 60 per cent renewable, Chile consumed 29 per cent more energy from fossil fuels in 2024 than it did in 2000.
- The energy system is not defossilising; it is redistributing its dependence across different fossil fuel sources. Today, Chile has neither a fossil fuel phase out strategy nor a reduction plan in its dependence on fossil fuels; instead, fossil fuel use has shifted across sectors.
- The cost of Chile being Latin America’s most dependent country on imported fossil fuels – Chile spent more than US$12 billion on fossil fuel imports in 2025 (and US$14.6 billion in 2024, equivalent to 5.1 per cent of GDP). Combined with a concentrated supplier base, this exposes the country to significant geopolitical and economic vulnerabilities.
- There is no policy instrument to assess the state of fossil fuel phase out in Chile. Although Chile has some decarbonization targets, they are not integrated into a unified fossil fuel phase out strategy.
- An opportunity for Chile – what could distinguish Chile as an international leader is showing that renewable energy expansion can be translated into a consistent decrease in fossil fuel demand.
Access the report here