For the first time in the reporting series, fossil fuels slightly exceeded electricity consumption in 2025, reaching 105.6 petajoules versus 105.0 petajoules for power. Diesel use remains concentrated in open-pit transport operations where battery-electric or hydrogen alternatives face technical and economic barriers at the scale required by Chilean mega-mines. Fuel oil consumption, in contrast, dropped 75% between 2015 and 2025, the steepest decline of any energy source.
The fastest-growing energy demand stems from seawater use, which multiplied 5.6-fold over the decade to 12.4 petajoules in 2025. Most of this energy—10.3 petajoules—goes to pumping water from coastal desalination plants to high-altitude mine sites, rather than the desalination process itself, which consumed only 2.1 petajoules. Fifteen operations now rely on seawater, more than double the number a decade ago, as northern Chile’s continental water scarcity forces reliance on ocean sources. In Antofagasta region, seawater now surpasses continental water for the first time.
Regional dependency on mining energy is stark. Antofagasta’s copper sector consumed 68% of the region’s total energy in 2024, up from 64% in 2015, while Tarapacá crossed the 50% threshold for the first time, reaching 52%. Victor Garay, Cochilco’s acting director of studies, noted that while 98% of operations subject to Chile’s Energy Efficiency Law have implemented energy management systems, substituting diesel in haulage remains the sector’s core transition challenge. The renewable electricity gains provide a pathway to lower-emission copper as global manufacturers face carbon border adjustments, but the structural rise in energy per tonne underscores mounting cost pressure as Chilean deposits age.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
