On April 2, 2025, the National Energy Commission (CNE) published Exempt Resolution No. 151, approving a new chapter of the Technical Standard for Coordination and Operation of the National Electric System (NTCO), as part of the commitments established in the 2018 Annual Regulatory Plan, in accordance with Article 72°-19 of the General Law on Electric Services.[1].
Following Article Six of the resolution, the CNE published, on April 3, 2025, the “Operation Scheduling Chapter” of the NTCO on its website, outlining detailed regulations for the procedure, with significant practical implications, which are explained below.
- NEW OPERATION SCHEDULING CHAPTER
The new chapter aims to establish the procedure and the required information for the Coordinator to carry out the Operation Scheduling of facilities interconnected to the National Electric System. This is for the purpose of complying with Article 72°-1 of the General Law on Electric Services.
Its requirements apply to the National Electricity Coordinator, to all coordinated entities, and to those seeking such status due to the pending start of the commissioning phase of their respective projects.
- NOTABLE ADVANCEMENTS
With the inclusion of this chapter in the NTCO, a series of measures are established to strengthen the principles of transparency and traceability in the technical decisions made by the Coordinator within the framework of operational scheduling.
In this context, the Technical Standard contributes to improving the traceability of decisions, ensuring that the operation of the electrical system is carried out in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. This aims to promote an efficient use of available technical resources to guarantee demand supply.
Furthermore, responding to the needs of the power generation industry—where variable renewable power plants play a central role—this standard sets guidelines for the coexistence between traditional generation sources and variable renewable energy sources. It regulates key aspects such as generation forecast estimations, information exchange processes between stakeholders, and the different stages of scheduling, among other essential technical elements for defining an efficient power generation supply.
The Technical Standard also provides the Coordinator with relevant short-term production data from variable renewable power plants, facilitating decision-making in the event of deviations in supply within system operations. Additionally, it establishes norms and directives to ensure that the aggregate production curve is capable of meeting the forecast demand.
Moreover, it highlights the inclusion of specific provisions that may offer solutions to common operational coordination issues, such as:
- A mechanism for Coordinated Entities to submit observations regarding the Programming Base.
- Dedicated sections on Long-Term, Mid-Term, Short-Term, and Intraday Scheduling.
- New provisions on the priority placement list for energy dispatch.
- Regulations on non-fuel variable costs for Renewable Plants with Storage Capacity.
- A section on the Coordinator’s Centralized Forecasting for solar and wind resources.
- New rules regarding Dispatchable Resources.
- New regulatory framework for Energy Storage Systems.
- Scheduling of Ancillary Services and the Operation Scheduling Report.
- A provision allowing Pumped Storage Plants and Renewable Plants with Storage to opt into a special operating condition that guarantees their injection or discharge mode, as applicable.
All of these provisions align with the principles of transparency and traceability, ensuring both the proper decision-making by the Coordinator and the delivery of relevant information from the Coordinated Entities regarding their facilities and production levels. This is in compliance with the Operational Coordination Principles established by law.
For further information on this matter, you may contact Francisco López (flopez@jdf.cl) or Eduardo Silva (esilva@jdf.cl).
[1] Additionally, the resolution also approved the revised text of the Technical Standard on Safety and Service Quality, along with complementary technical annexes, which will not be addressed in this report.
