Chilean Mining Energy Consumption. 1906 - 2013

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 20th century, mining was the leading sector of the energy modernization of the Chilean economy. Copper mining and nitrate industry received important investments that led these sectors to be the largest consumers of modern energy in Chile. Its importance in the national energy history increased even more by becoming also the largest generators and consumers of electricity, while the others sectors of the economy was taking its first steps in the kinetics era. Most of the electricity was generated with oil, being responsible for the energy transition from fossil fuels in Chilean mining during the first decades of the twentieth century, at least 40 years before the rest of the economy. The role of mining in the generation of electricity only changed with the creation of ENDESA and the implementation of its national electrification plan. Only the arrival of ENDESA allowed the Chilean mines to replace the self-generated electricity by the energy produced by the public company. Finally, the modernization of industry and the urbanization reduced the share of mining in the total of energy consumption, reduced by onethird of total consumption.

Keywords: Energy Consumption, Energy Modernization, Energy Transition, Chilean Mining.