Chile has officially enacted a series of amendments to the regulations governing its Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA), a move designed to improve efficiency without weakening environmental protection standards.
The reform was published in the Diario Oficial by the Ministerio del Medio Ambiente de Chile, updating the criteria that determine which projects must enter the SEIA.
According to Environment Minister Maisa Rojas, Phase 2 of the regulatory update “allows the system to focus its efforts where they truly matter: on projects with significant environmental impacts”. She added that the reform is evidence-based, reflects accumulated regulatory experience, and modernises criteria that in some cases have been in force since 1997.
Phase 2 of the reform reviewed 18 project categories and updated the thresholds for mandatory entry into the SEIA. As a result, smaller-scale projects will no longer be automatically required to undergo a full environmental impact assessment and will instead be regulated through other sector-specific permits.
This approach seeks to reduce administrative burdens while ensuring that projects with potentially significant environmental effects continue to face rigorous evaluation.
A key innovation is the introduction of differentiated criteria for modifications to projects that already hold an Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA). Under the new rules, not every project change will trigger a new environmental assessment.
A fresh evaluation will only be required when a modification generates new and relevant environmental impacts, determined on a case-by-case basis, provided the project remains within the same original typology.
Authorities stressed that projects excluded from the SEIA will remain subject to sectoral regulations, including oversight by the Ministry of Health and the General Directorate of Water, ensuring there is no deregulation of activities with potential environmental impacts.
The reform also introduces a minimum distance threshold of 2 kilometres for electricity transmission lines to require entry into the SEIA. Previously, all transmission lines—regardless of length— were subject to environmental assessment.
The updated rule aligns Chile with international practice and aims to focus regulatory scrutiny on large-scale transmission projects, a relevant change for grid expansion linked to renewable energy integration.
In preparation for the new regulation, the Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental has implemented technological, technical and legal upgrades. The e-SEIA digital platform has been updated to receive projects under the new entry criteria, alongside adjustments to the Fast-Track Relevance (Pertinencia Ágil) system and its governing guidelines.
This regulatory update forms part of a broader modernisation of Chile’s environmental assessment framework. Phase 1 of the reform, published in February 2024, incorporated climate change as a formal variable in environmental impact assessments, in line with the country’s Climate Change Framework Law.
It also strengthened access to environmental information and public participation, fulfilling Chile’s commitments under the Escazú Agreement, a regional treaty focused on environmental democracy and transparency.
