The country’s first HVDC transmission line, developed by the company Conexión, is more than 22% complete in terms of construction and 55% complete overall.

The Kimal-Lo Aguirre power transmission project, which is being developed by Conexión and is scheduled to come online in May 2029, plans to gradually increase its workforce from the current 1,500 workers to approximately 7,000 as construction progresses and pending regulatory permits are obtained.

The initiative, which involves an investment of approximately US$1.5 billion, is the country’s first high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line.

This was reported by Carola Venegas, Conexión’s Manager of Sustainability and Public Affairs, during her participation in the Future Energy Summit held in Santiago, where she explained that construction progress has already exceeded 22 percent, slightly ahead of schedule.

She also explained that the project’s overall compliance rate exceeds 55%, a metric that takes into account studies, purchase orders, and other milestones monitored by the National Electricity Coordinator.

The infrastructure will have a total length of 1,346 kilometers and will traverse 28 municipalities across five regions, connecting the Kimal Substation, located in María Elena, with the Lo Aguirre Substation in Pudahuel, in the Metropolitan Region.

The route includes the installation of 2,692 transmission towers, 829 of which will be located within the region, distributed along approximately 415 kilometers of power line.

Regarding the progress of the construction work, Venegas noted that there are currently around 200 structures under construction, mainly at various points along the route, and explained that progress can be seen through aerial footage of the work being carried out in both María Elena and Pudahuel.

The expansion of construction sites and increased hiring will depend on obtaining the corresponding sector-specific authorizations.