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| Drilling in the Southern Winter. Tolhuaca volcano, Chile. Taken at sunset in late June, 2011 by Jim Stimac. GRC Photo Contest 2011. |
After France, another country has recently announced plans to start eliminating dirty fossil fuels. President Michelle Bachelet says Chile will not build any coal plants without carbon capture and will start replacing existing plants with cleaner sources.
Thanks to its geographical and geological context, Chile has excellent potential for renewable energy. With 15% of the world’s volcanoes and almost 10% of the world’s geysers, the country has vast geothermal potential.
Coal and oil together generate more than half of the country’s energy, with hydro providing just over 30% in 2017. Wind, solar, and geothermal have been relegated to secondary sources, but that might soon change. A consortium formed by the National Petroleum Company and Enel have requested a concession to develop geothermal resources in the northern parts.