Chile and Bolivia sign an energy integration declaration and will study a power interconnection

Chile and Bolivia took a first step toward a power interconnection. Presidents José Antonio Kast and Rodrigo Paz Pereira signed a joint declaration on energy integration in La Paz on October 16. It creates a binational technical committee and opens the door to evaluating a future connection between the two countries' power systems, according to Revista Electricidad and Electrominería.

The signing took place during Kast's visit to Bolivia and was attended by Chile's Energy Minister, Ximena Rincón. The text is a political declaration: it sets no amounts, capacities or deadlines. Those details will be left to a roadmap the new committee must prepare.

According to the text cited by both outlets, the governments agreed to *“reaffirm the political will of both governments to advance the development of energy cooperation and integration”*. The concrete commitments are:

• Permanent bilateral dialogue to strengthen the security and sustainability of both countries' power systems.
• Evaluation of a future power interconnection between Chile and Bolivia.
• Binational Technical Committee to draft a roadmap with possible stages, actions and timelines, to be agreed later.
• Regional framework: the declaration is part of the Andean Electrical Interconnection System (SINEA) and its 2020-2030 roadmap, which promotes a regional power corridor and regulatory harmonization.

*“Achieving energy integration could change the face of our countries”*, Minister Rincón said, adding that the agreement *“is in line with the goals of diversification and complementarity of both countries' energy mix”*.

An interconnection allows countries to buy and sell electricity. For Chile, which has daytime solar surpluses and has had to curtail renewable output because of transmission limits, a regional link opens the possibility of exporting that surplus. We describe the scale of Chile's solar fleet in solar energy in Chile in numbers. For Bolivia, whose power mix relies heavily on natural gas, a link could add renewable energy and backup.

None of the published texts gives a route, a capacity in megawatts or an estimated investment. Nor do they mention gas, lithium or hydrogen. Separately, the Bolivian government said it wants to speed up fuel transport from Arica to Sica Sica, to reduce delays caused by road blockades.

Meanwhile, integration with Peru took a more concrete step. EnorChile Transmisión filed the 2×220 kV Los Héroes–Parinacota line, Chilean section, with the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA) through an Environmental Impact Declaration. The line would allow electricity imports and exports between Chile's National Electric System and Peru's grid, according to Revista Electricidad.

The line will be mostly overhead, with an underground section, and includes a converter substation. The project documents are dated October 13, 2026 in the SEIA.

Integration comes as Chile's grid changes fast, with more solar and more storage than ever. A regional grid would help make use of that energy, but any international line requires regulatory agreements, financing and years of construction. At home, the regulator is already prioritizing reinforcements, such as the urgent transmission works approved for 2026.

Chile already has experience with an international interconnection. The InterAndes line, at 345 kV and about 409 km, links the Andes substation in the Antofagasta Region with the Cobos substation in Salta. It was built around 2000 to bring power from an Argentine thermal plant and was out of service for years. In November 2022 it was reactivated with interruptible exchanges: Chile could export up to 80 MW by day and Argentina send up to 200 MW at night, according to Bloomberg Línea.

That model shows what an interconnection is for in a solar country: exporting renewable surpluses at midday, when there is too much, and importing power at night to displace diesel generation. A link with Bolivia could follow similar logic, although none of that is defined in the declaration.

• Roadmap from the binational committee: stages, actions and timelines, which according to the declaration must be agreed by both parties.
• Technical studies: route, capacity and whether the systems would run synchronized or isolated.
• Regulatory agreement: rules for buying and selling power between both markets.
• Financing and environmental review: in Chile, any transmission line of this size must go through the SEIA.

Lithium, another bilateral topic of interest, does not appear in the declaration. Bolivia has 23 million tonnes of identified lithium resources, but the USGS does not assign it proven reserves, unlike Chile, which tops the world reserves ranking. Chile's progress on transmission, and the bottleneck it faces, shows up in the 12,188 MW of projects waiting to connect.

Do Chile and Bolivia already have a power interconnection?

No. The October 16, 2026 declaration only commits to evaluating a future interconnection and creating a binational technical committee to prepare a roadmap.

How much will the interconnection with Bolivia cost?

There is no figure. The declaration does not mention investment, capacity or route.

What is EnorChile's project to Peru?

A 2×220 kV line, about 22 km in Chilean territory, between the Parinacota substation (Arica) and the border, with an investment of USD 30 million and 250 MVA of capacity. It is under environmental review.