Eligible properties must guarantee public accessibility for a minimum of 12 hours daily and provide safe vehicle circulation routes. Sites located on national highways face additional requirements including fluid access from both traffic directions or the presence of a vehicular turnaround within three kilometers. Landowners accepting stations assume responsibility for zone signaling, maintaining cleanliness around the equipment and providing basic user guidance.
The regulatory framework permits property owners to establish a surcharge on top of the base electricity recharging rate, which UTE will collect and subsequently transfer in full to the private host. This revenue-sharing mechanism positions the program as a dual-opportunity initiative, enabling commercial operators at service stations, highway rest areas and retail locations to capture additional customer traffic while generating direct income from charging fees.
UTE’s existing network comprises 531 active charging points across 180 localities, including 367 direct current and 164 alternating current stations. The utility registered 120,853 charging sessions in July 2026 alone. UTE president Andrea Cabrera announced plans to install approximately 300 new charging points during 2026, with an objective to reach 1,000 total points by 2027. The expansion responds to accelerating EV adoption, with over 15,000 electric vehicles sold in 2026 to date, bringing the national fleet to approximately 35,000 units representing just over two percent of total vehicle stock.
The recently inaugurated Malvín electrolinera in Montevideo exemplifies the infrastructure model UTE seeks to replicate through private partnerships. The eight-point fast-charging station at Valencia 1795 required an investment of approximately $230,000 and recorded 5,244 charging sessions in its first operational month, with peak demand concentrated between 11:00 and 21:00 hours. Each charging point delivers 60 kilowatts through CCS2 connectors, with individual chargers capable of 120 kilowatt output and operating 24 hours daily.
Uruguay’s energy transition framework, rooted in a 2010 multipartisan agreement that transformed the national electricity matrix to nearly 98 percent renewable generation, now extends to transportation sector decarbonization through charging infrastructure proliferation supported by residential tariff incentives and this public-private land cession model.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
