Chile's electricity peak hours are back in the debate. The Chilean Food Companies Association (Chilealimentos) met with Energy Minister Ximena Rincón and asked her to shorten the peak-hours period, set up a technical working group to review how it is charged, and replace the fixed calendar with a methodology based on each customer's actual consumption at the moments of maximum system demand, as reported on Thursday 22 October by Portal Agro Chile.
According to the association, the minister said she was aware of the issue and its effects on investment, employment and production, recalled that September was already removed from the 2026 peak period and said the government is working to shorten it further. The National Energy Commission (CNE) is carrying out a technical analysis of the mechanism with a view to 2027.
What peak hours are and who they affect
Peak hours are the period in which the power system records its highest demand. In Chile they normally apply from April to September, Monday to Friday, between 18:00 and 22:00. For certain customers, mainly companies and industries, the power they draw in those hours sets a higher capacity charge on their bill, so they have a strong incentive to cut consumption in that window.
The mechanism aims to get companies to shift consumption away from the hours of highest demand, when the system needs more power plants running. As Pauta explained in August, for most residential customers peak hours do not change the bill: the effect falls on companies, small businesses and customers who pay peak-demand charges.
| Aspect | How it works |
|---|---|
| Months | April to September (in 2026, only April to August) |
| Days | Monday to Friday |
| Hours | 18:00 to 22:00 |
| Who pays | Companies and customers on tariffs that charge demand during peak hours |
| Households on the BT1 tariff | Generally not affected |
| Who is reviewing it | The CNE, with a view to 2027 |
Sources: Ministry of Energy, decree published in the Diario Oficial (official gazette) on 5 September 2026, and Pauta (19 August 2026).
What Chilealimentos is asking for on peak hours
The food industry depends on electricity for the cold chain, freezing, preservation and processing, and in autumn and winter many plants are in full season. Chilealimentos proposes four changes:
- Shorten the current peak-hours period.
- Set up a technical working group to review the charging regime that affects agro-industry.
- Replace the fixed calendar with a methodology based on each customer's coincident demand with the system's actual moments of maximum demand.
- Allocate capacity charges according to each customer's actual contribution to the system peak.
“We are not seeking to exempt agro-industry from paying for the electrical capacity it uses,” said the president of Chilealimentos, Juan Manuel Mira. “We hope the review of the regime will allow progress towards a tariff signal more consistent with the current conditions of the power system,” he added, according to Portal Agro Chile.
The association also argues that a tariff aligned with the system's real needs would reduce the incentive to self-generate with diesel during peak hours, something many companies do today to avoid the charge. With diesel up a cumulative CLP 401 per litre since July, as we reported in our story on the fuel price rise, that self-generation is also more expensive.
The background: five business groups and a September free of charges
The request is not new. In April 2026, five business associations, ACENOR (unregulated electricity customers), ASIMET (metalworking industry), ASIQUIM (chemical industry), Chilealimentos and the Pescadores Industriales del Biobío (industrial fishing), asked the minister to review the peak control period, according to Reporte Minero. They argued that the six-month scheme “forces many companies to cut production, reorganise shifts or resort to self-generation with fossil fuels”.
The associations cited two figures. In a 2024 ACENOR survey of unregulated customers, 24% of companies said they reduce production during peak control and 23% that they self-generate with fossil fuels. And in 2020 and 2021, when the period was shortened to two months, some industries reported productivity gains of 8% to 25% and lower diesel use.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| April 2026 | Five business associations ask for a review of the peak control period |
| August 2026 | The Ministry of Energy announces that September is excluded from the 2026 peak period |
| 5 September 2026 | The Diario Oficial publishes the decree excluding September 2026 |
| 31 August 2026 | This year's peak period ends, a month earlier than usual |
| 22 October 2026 | Chilealimentos asks to shorten it further and set up a technical working group |
| 2027 | The CNE assesses whether to keep the April-to-September period or change it |
The decree published in the Diario Oficial on 5 September amended tariff decrees 8T of 2024 and 10T of 2025 to exclude September 2026. The minister said at the time that the request had been accepted and that the situation would be reviewed for 2027.
Why peak hours could change
Peak hours were designed for a system in which maximum demand occurred on winter evenings and expensive plants had to be switched on to cover it. Today's system is different: with more than 3,000 MW of batteries in operation, much of the day's solar energy is stored and delivered at night, precisely between 18:00 and 22:00.
With more batteries, the system's real peak is lower and shifts in time and month depending on hydrology, weather and operation. That is the associations' argument for charging according to each customer's actual contribution to the peak rather than a fixed calendar. We detailed the growth of storage in our story on the 3,000 MW of batteries.
The change also has a cost: if companies pay less for peak capacity, that cost may be passed on to other customers or reduce the revenue that pays for system capacity. That is why the decision depends on a technical study by the CNE and not just a decree, and its outcome would be known before the next period, which would begin in April 2027.
For households, the savings advice remains the same: the price per kWh on the BT1 tariff does not change by time of day, so what weighs most on the bill is how much is consumed, not when. Typical consumption by appliance is in our guide to how much electricity a home in Chile uses.
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See advertising optionsFrequently asked questions
What are the electricity peak hours in Chile?
From April to September, Monday to Friday, between 18:00 and 22:00. In 2026 the period ended on 31 August, because September was excluded.
Do peak hours make household electricity bills more expensive?
Generally not. They affect companies and customers on tariffs that charge for power demanded during peak hours, not most households on the BT1 tariff.
What did Chilealimentos ask for?
To shorten the peak period, set up a technical working group and charge for capacity according to each customer's real contribution to the system's maximum demand.
Will there be peak hours in 2027?
It has not been decided. The CNE is carrying out a technical analysis to define whether to keep the April-to-September period or change it.
