International seminar addressed the new demands and new systems of electrification

October 23, 2026

On Friday, October 23, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez hosted at its Vitacura Campus the international seminar “Electrification for the Energy Transition: New Demands, New Systems”, organized by CALDO, the consortium of Canadian research universities, the UAI Center for Energy Transition (CENTRA) and SERC Chile. With presentations in Spanish and English, the day brought together academics, authorities, policymakers and industry leaders to discuss what the electrification of end uses requires from policy, markets and power systems.

Opening

The seminar was opened by Francisco Covarrubias, Rector of Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez; Karolina Guay, Ambassador of Canada to Chile; Ximena Rincón, Minister of Energy of Chile; and Claudio Seebach, Dean of the UAI Faculty of Engineering and Sciences.

Panel 1: public policies to accelerate renewable-based electrification

Presentations were given by Warren Mabee, Queen’s University (Canada), and José Miguel Cardemil, Director of SERC Chile. The panel included Marta Cabeza, Superintendent of Electricity and Fuels; Ignacio Santelices, Sustainability Manager at Fundación Chile; Ana Lía Rojas, Executive Director of ACERA; Claudio Huepe, former Minister of Energy; and Francisco Alliende, CEO of Saesa. It was moderated by Rodrigo Barraza, faculty member of the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences and CENTRA researcher.

Panel 2: transforming energy markets for an electrified future

Presentations were given by Mustafa Gül, University of Alberta (Canada), and Rodrigo Moreno, Director of the UAI Energy Engineering program and CENTRA researcher. The panel included María Teresa González, CEO of Statkraft Chile; Bernardita Espinoza, Vice President of the Board of the National Electricity Coordinator; Miguel Castillo, Commercial and Customer Service Deputy Director at CGE; and Darío Morales, Executive Director of ACESOL. It was moderated by Andrea Armijo, Director of CIGRÉ Chile.

Afternoon workshop

The day closed with a specialized workshop on research perspectives on electrification and the global energy transition, with presentations by Claudio Agostini (UAI and SERC Chile), Mustafa Gül, Warren Mabee, Guillermo Jiménez (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia) and Balaji Venkateswaran (University of Cyprus), and Tito Homem-de-Mello (UAI) as panelist. It was moderated by Shahriyar Nasirov, faculty member of the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences and SERC Chile researcher. Workshop participants received a CENTRA UAI certificate.