Launch: "Study on mechanisms for benefit sharing in energy projects in Chile"

Ministerio de Energía y GIZ presentan estudio clave sobre beneficios compartidos en proyectos energéticos (copy 1)

The Chilean Ministry of Energy, through its Participation and Social Dialogue Division, together with the German cooperation agency GIZ, presented the Study on Shared Benefit Mechanisms in Energy Projects in Chile, a strategic input for advancing toward a just energy transition, with a focus on social acceptance, territorial governance, and local development.
The study addresses one of the most relevant and still controversial issues of the energy transition in Chile: how to ensure that the benefits of energy projects are not only environmental, but also social and economic for the communities where they are developed. Unlike one-off compensation, the benefit-sharing mechanisms analyzed are linked to the financial flows of the projects and are co-designed with local actors, promoting long-term relationships and reducing potential conflicts.
The presentation was made at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago and featured opening remarks by Undersecretary of Energy Luis Felipe Ramos and Jacob Franck, Policy Advisor to the Latin America Division of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The consulting team in charge of the study, RST Andes, and a high-level panel composed of representatives from the United Nations, ECLAC, and Generadoras de Chile also participated.
The document reviews international experiences and proposes five binding benefit-sharing mechanisms, ranging from shared ownership schemes to direct participation in project revenues. For successful implementation, the study highlights the need for strong participatory governance, involving developers, communities—including indigenous peoples—local governments, and other relevant actors, under principles of transparency, legitimacy, and accountability.
Among its recommendations, the study proposes short-, medium-, and long-term actions, such as a clear definition of the concept of benefit sharing, the development of pilot projects, tax incentives, the creation of public information platforms, the strengthening of local capacities, and, in the long term, the incorporation of these mechanisms into the national legal framework.
The study is highly relevant to the energy market, as it contributes to generating social acceptance for renewable energy projects, a key condition for ensuring the viability of investments and meeting development deadlines in the context of decarbonization and energy supply security.