On Tuesday 4 June, the President of Chile Sebastian Piñera and the host of the next UN climate talks in December, announced that Chile intends to close eight coal-fired power plants by 2024 and the remaining 20 by 2040.
The first eight power plants to be closed have an installed capacity of 1047 MW between them and account for 19% of the country’s total coal-fired generation capacity.
According to the Chilean Energy Minister Susana Jimenez, as these coal-fired power plants begin to be phased out, renewable energy power plants will step in to fill the gap.
Chile volunteered to host the annual climate UN talks following the withdrawal of Brazil’s invitation to host them. Since, the country has been in a race to green itself in a bid to lead by example.