Chile�s Minister of Economy and Energy, Jorge Rodriguez Grossi, and the Director of the National Commission on Energy, Luis Sanchez Castell�n, announced today that Chile has joined the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).

Chile�s Minister of Economy and Energy, Jorge Rodriguez Grossi, and the Director of the National Commission on Energy, Luis Sanchez Castell�n, announced today that Chile has joined the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).

Minister Rodriguez said "We hope that this affiliation provides international expertise and experience to strengthen our National Energy Efficiency Program as well as our ongoing activities in the area of renewable energies. It will be highly beneficial for us to be connected to countries like Spain, the United Kingdom or Brazil, that have a longstanding experience in the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energies, and that have shown that it is both economic and environmentally sound to reduce growth rates in energy consumption."

Marianne Osterkorn, REEEP International Director, said: "Having Chile in REEEP will strengthen our relationship with Latin America. Chile joins our current Latin American partners, Brazil, Guatemala and Mexico, whom we have been helping to develop clean energy policies. We hope to provide the expertise and support that Chile requires to make energy efficiency a mainstream reality."

The goal of REEEP is to accelerate and expand the global market for renewable-energy and energy-efficient technologies.

The partnership assists the governments of developing countries in creating regulatory policy frameworks which integrate renewables into the energy mix and help establish investment climates to encourage the development and use of renewable energy. The REEEP also assists with creating sustainable energy funds and financing models.

Chile`s National Energy Efficiency Program was launched in January this year. It is a long term program for which the foundations are being laid during 2005, with the creation of a Public-Private Operating Committee, the participatory definition of the principle lines of work needed for a National System for Energy Efficiency, and the implementation of the first Action Plan 2005 that contains 30 actions by different stakeholders and sectors.

In the area of renewable energy several recent regulatory changes in Chile have made investments in this area more attractive by for example liberating the small electricity generators from part of the payment of transmission costs. Also, a small package for financial assistance from government for pre-investment studies for renewables has recently been issued.

Both programs are considered essential for the necessary diversification of the country's energy matrix as well as for local and global environmental reasons.