CHAPTER
19
An inclusive and participative model
for energy transition in Latin America:
the case of Chilean Generacio
´
n
Comunitaria
Francisco Merino
1
, Adolfo Mejı ´a Montero
2
and Cecilia Dastres
3
1
Coordinator of Generacio ´n Comunitaria Partnership Framework, Participation and Community
Engagement Division, Ministry of Energy, Chile
2
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United
Kingdom
3
Head of Content, Methodology and Partnerships Unit, Participation and Community
Engagement Division, Ministry of Energy, Chile
19.1 Introduction
Since the late 1980s the natural resources
sector has assumed greater importance for the
global economic and social development,
and Latin America is not an exception.
Nevertheless, the extractive and energy sectors
have impacted resource-rich countries in Latin
America, both positively and negatively, in
economic and social ways. Positively, they
have generated higher revenues for GDP
and increased employability. Negatively, they
have resulted in high risks for communities
located in the areas affected by these specific
projects. The last is particularly acute in
developing countries, such as Peru,
1
Mexico,
2
1
Several social-environmental mappings have illustrated conflicts in Peru, Mexico, and Chile about energy conflicts. For
example, in Peru the Ombudsman Office demonstrated that at least 35 social-environmental conflicts have relation with
energy projects. Defensorı ´a del Pueblo, Adjuntı ´a para la Prevencio ´n de Conflictos Sociales y la Gobernabilidad, 2016.
Reporte Mensual de Conflictos Sociales No. 154. Available from: ,https://sinia.minam.gob.pe/documentos/reporte-
mensual-conflictos-sociales-ndeg-154-diciembre-2016. (accessed 01.07.19.).
2
In the same way, in Mexico as reported by the Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad de la
Universidad Nacional Auto ´noma de Me ´xico around 35 social-environmental conflicts have relation with energy projects.
Observatorio Socioambiental de la Unio ´n de Cientı ´ficos Comprometidos con la Sociedad y del Centro de Ciencias de la
Complejidad de la Universidad Nacional Auto ´noma de Me ´xico (OSA-UNAM), 2019. Available from: ,http://osa.fisica.
unam.mx/. (accessed 01.07.19.).
331
The Regulation and Policy of Latin American Energy Transitions
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819521-5.00019-X © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.