The 753 km-long Cardones-Polpaico power transmission line has been inagurated in northern Chile. The 500 kV line worth US$1bn was approved by the Environmental Assessment Service of Chile in 2015 and construction began in 2016. The line, which links the Northern Interconnected System (SING) and the Central Interconnected System (SIC), strengthens the integration of the two main interconnected systems. It is expected to provide more than 1 GW from renewable (wind and solar) power plants in northern Chile to the Metropolitan region and to capital city Santiago.
In 2018, investments in energy accounted for 21% of total investments in Chile and 65 power projects totalling 3.65 GW received environmental approval. The share of renewables in the Chilean power mix is increasing steadily, from 36% in 2013 (including hydropower and biomass) to 47% in 2018; it is expected to reach 70% by 2030.