Staff of the Department of Energy Transition at UE Katowice on a Study Visit to Chile

The study visit was attended by members of the project team from the Department of Energy Transition at UE Katowice: dr Marcin Kraśniewski, dr Aleksandra Lubicz-Posochowska, and Grzegorz Zych.

The programme of the visit was implemented in cooperation with three key Chilean institutions:

1. University of Chile - Faculty of Law, and the Centre for Regulation and Competition and the Centre for Environmental Law. The delegation was hosted by prof. Catalina Medel Lucas, Director of the Centre for Regulation and Competition and the Centre for Environmental Law, and prof. Francisco Agüero Vargas, Professor of Commercial Law and Director of Master’s Studies at the Faculty of Law.
2. Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD) - Faculty of Law. Academic supervision was provided by prof. Camila Boettiger and prof. Raúl Campusano Droguett, Professors of Law.
3. Asociación de Clientes Eléctricos No Regulados, an association bringing together energy companies in Chile. The delegation was hosted by dr Javier Bustos Salvagno, Managing Director of the association.

At the University of Chile, the delegation participated in a series of academic seminars devoted to regulatory frameworks and governance in the energy sector, the role of law and regulatory institutions in the energy transition process, as well as the social and consumer perspective of energy policy (Just Transition & Social Dimension of Energy Policy). Discussions focused, among other issues, on comparing European and Chilean experiences in the transformation of industrial regions, the protection of energy consumers, and combating energy poverty. The programme also included a joint session with the participation of the Women in Energy Association (AME), attended by dr Aleksandra Lubicz-Posochowska.

An important part of the stay also consisted of seminars at the Institute for Complex Engineering Systems (ISCI), led by prof. Rodrigo Moreno, devoted to the relationship between legal regulation and the functioning of complex engineering systems. Topics discussed included the integration of renewable energy sources, power system security, grid flexibility, and the importance of well-designed energy markets and regulatory instruments.

At Universidad del Desarrollo, a seminar was organised to present the university’s research areas and opportunities for academic cooperation. A key element of the programme was also a panel discussion entitled “Transición Energética Justa: Experiencia Europea y Aplicaciones a Chile”, with the participation of dr Marcin Kraśniewski and Grzegorz Zych, as well as faculty members from the Faculty of Law at Universidad del Desarrollo. During the panel discussion, European experiences in the field of just energy transition, energy market regulation, prosumerism, and the protection of end consumers were presented. An important part of the discussion was devoted to the challenges facing the Silesian region and the Polish perspective on energy transition.

An integral part of the visit were study tours in the Atacama Desert region, including:

• the hybrid wind-photovoltaic power plant Parque Fotovoltaico Azabache,
• the industrial wind farm Parque Eólico Valle de los Vientos,
• elements of the cross-border gas infrastructure Atacama Gas Pipeline (Argentina-Chile), operated by Gas Atacama Chile.

These visits were complemented by an off-site seminar devoted to social acceptance of large-scale energy installations, the analysis of social and environmental conflicts, and the practical application of the concept of energy justice in energy transition processes.

The study visit to Chile contributed to strengthening the international research cooperation of the Department of Energy Transition at UE Katowice and provided valuable comparative experience, important for further research, teaching activities, and initiatives supporting a just energy transition in Poland and the European Union.