Minerales para la transición energética en Chile

This report analyzes the governance of critical minerals for the energy transition in Chile, specifically copper and lithium. Using case studies from the Tarapacá and Antofagasta regions, it evaluates the application of UN principles on equity and justice, identifying significant gaps in indigenous participation, water management, and the distribution of mining royalties. The document proposes a series of safeguards driven by civil society to ensure a more just and sustainable energy transition.

• Chile holds a dominant global position in critical minerals, producing an estimated 5.3 million tonnes of copper in 2024 with reserves representing approximately 28% of the global total. Its lithium production grew from 41,400 tonnes in 2023 to nearly 49,000 tonnes in 2024, with reserves estimated at 9.3 million tonnes, or about 31% of world reserves.
• There is a historical deficit in indigenous participation in mining decision-making in Chile, characterized by an institutional vacuum of approximately 25 years where projects advanced without effective community influence. Current consultation mechanisms are often perceived as formal procedures that are not binding and occur too late in the project cycle to impact strategic design.
• Water governance in mining regions is a primary source of socio-environmental conflict due to structural scarcity and asymmetric rights. In the Tarapacá region, the Pampa del Tamarugal aquifer faces overexploitation, with legal extractions of nearly 4,000 liters per second against a natural recharge of only 1,000 l/s.
• The distribution of mining royalties is marked by a lack of transparency and a perception of extreme centralization in Santiago. In the Tarapacá region, municipalities including Iquique, Pica, and Camiña failed to report budget modifications or the execution of Royalty resources as of 2024. Nationally, only 37% of these funds were allocated to investment, while 26% went to consumption goods and services and 20% to current transfers.
• The National Lithium Strategy (ENL), launched in 2023, seeks to shift the management of lithium—a 'non-concessible' resource—toward a model of public-private partnerships with state control. While it has introduced advances like the Red de Salares Protegidos (covering 27 ecosystems), critics argue that specific agreements, such as the joint venture between Codelco and SQM, lacked transparency and were signed without open bidding.
• Mining activities have caused cumulative social impacts in local communities, including social fragmentation, the weakening of traditional economies, and gender inequalities that restrict women to low-hierarchy roles. The 2023 closure of the Cerro Colorado mine highlighted a lack of effective labor reconversion strategies, increasing socio-economic vulnerability.

APA

Ramos, Y. P., Bermudez, J. F., Busconi, A., Patiño, D. C. B., Mogollón, A. M., Marengo, M., Peña, J., Tapia, P. Z., Rojas, M. A., & Patzy, F. (2026). Minerales para la transición energética en Chile. Transforma. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260407-MineralesChile.pdf

Chicago

Ramos, Yessica Prieto, Juliette F. Bermudez, Antonela Busconi, Diana Carolina Barba Patiño, Ana María Mogollón, Melissa Marengo, Juliana Peña, et al. Minerales para la transición energética en Chile. Transforma, 2026. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260407-MineralesChile.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{ramos2026minerales, author = {Ramos, Yessica Prieto and Bermudez, Juliette F. and Busconi, Antonela and Patiño, Diana Carolina Barba and Mogollón, Ana María and Marengo, Melissa and Peña, Juliana and Tapia, Pedro Zapata and Rojas, María Angélica and Patzy, Fernando}, title = {{Minerales para la transición energética en Chile}}, institution = {Transforma}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260407-MineralesChile.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }