Chile’s EPR law and batteries
What Law No. 20,920 requires today and what the draft decree proposes.
Open data
Battery and solar panel statistics for Chile
Ecobaterías is a Chilean waste manager for lithium batteries and photovoltaic modules: intake, testing, recovery, and a valorization and traceability certificate for reporting under Chile’s Extended Producer Responsibility law (Ley REP, Law No. 20,920).
On this page
Chile placed some 396,000 lithium-ion batteries and 7,800,000 lead-acid batteries on the market in 2026, which will leave 1,100 t and 44,400 t of waste that same year. About 90% of the lead-acid stream is recycled today and almost none of the lithium-ion stream. This page lists every figure with its source, year and cut-off date.
Updated 2026-09-19 · Reviewed by the Ecobaterías technical team.
- Scope
- Chile: battery market, photovoltaic fleet and Ley REP targets
- Cut-off date
- 2026-09-18 (own photovoltaic series: 2026-09-11)
- Reusable source
- datos/estadisticas.json
- How to cite
- Credit Ecobaterías and the primary source listed in each row
- 1,100 tof lithium-ion battery waste estimated for 2026 in Chile
- 44,400 tof lead-acid battery waste estimated for 2026
- 756operating photovoltaic plants in the Observatory cut-off
- ≈0%of lithium-ion batteries are recycled in Chile today
Source: regulatory impact assessment of the draft battery decree, Ministry of the Environment (Res. Ex. 821/2026) (opens in a new tab) and the Ecobaterías Solar Observatory · cut-off 2026-09-18
Scope, assumptions and how to read these tables
This page is the Ecobaterías index of figures: the only list we use across the site, in the Markdown mirrors and in answers to agents. If a number is not here, we do not publish it.
Scope. The market figures cover all of Chile and come from the regulatory impact assessment that accompanies the draft battery decree. The photovoltaic figures cover the operating plants recorded at the cut-off of the Ecobaterías Solar Observatory, whose method and assumptions are published in full.
Scenario of each row. Every figure states whether it is a rule in force, a proposal from a text still in process, an estimate by an identified third party, our own estimate or a threshold measured in our laboratory. The distinction matters: battery targets are not yet enforceable, while the targets of Supreme Decree (DS) 22/2025 for solar panels and portable batteries are published, with deferred enforceability.
Number format. English figures use a decimal point and a comma thousands separator (1,100 t; 22%). Years carry no separator.
Cut-off date. The full table was reviewed on 2026-09-18. The own photovoltaic series has a 2026-09-11 cut-off and is refreshed whenever the register of operating plants changes.
Battery market in Chile
The first four rows size the problem: how many units enter each year and how much mass will leave service. The fifth explains why lithium-ion needs dedicated infrastructure and cannot ride on the lead chain.
| Figure | Value | Unit | Year | Scenario |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium-ion batteries placed on the market | 396,000 | batteries | 2026 | Ministry estimate |
| Lithium-ion battery waste | 1,100 | t | 2026 | Ministry estimate |
| Lead-acid batteries placed on the market | 7,800,000 | batteries | 2026 | Ministry estimate |
| Lead-acid battery waste | 44,400 | t | 2026 | Ministry estimate |
| Current recycling rate | ≈90% / ≈0% | % recycled | 2026 | Ministry estimate |
Swipe to see the full table
Source: regulatory impact assessment of the draft battery decree, Ministry of the Environment (Res. Ex. 821/2026) (opens in a new tab) · Updated 2026-09-19, data cut-off 2026-09-18
The last row is the most quoted figure on this page: ≈90% of lead-acid batteries are recycled in Chile because a collection, transport and smelting chain has existed for decades, and ≈0% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled because that chain still has to be built. The entry point is described in where to recycle lithium batteries in Chile.
Photovoltaic fleet and module waste
These figures are Ecobaterías’ own estimates, built on the register of operating plants. The method, assumptions and update cycle are published in the Solar Observatory method.
| Figure | Value | Unit | Year | Scenario |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating photovoltaic plants covered | 756 | plants | 2026 | Own estimate |
| Nameplate capacity analyzed | 12,884 | MW | 2026 | Own estimate |
| Installed modules | ≈34.9 million | modules | 2026 | Own estimate |
| Module mass that will reach end of life | ≈1.0 million | t | 2026 | Own estimate |
| Broken modules already generated | 6,016 | t | 2026 | Own estimate |
| Early flow through 2029 | 55,000–80,000 | modules/year | 2026 | Own estimate |
| Flow in PPA expiry years (2030 and 2033–2035) | 400,000–850,000 | modules/year | 2026 | Own estimate |
| Early module waste estimated by the Ministry | 11,000 | t/year | 2026 | Third-party estimate |
Swipe to see the full table
Sources: Ecobaterías Solar Observatory, cut-off 2026-09-11, and the Ministry of the Environment (opens in a new tab) for the early-waste estimate · Updated 2026-09-19
The two series are not additive: ours is built plant by plant, and the Ministry’s is an aggregate estimate of early waste. They are meant to be compared, not stacked.
| Plant | Year | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| El Romero (776,000 modules) | 2030 | Power purchase agreement expiry |
| El Pelícano | 2033 | Power purchase agreement expiry |
| Amanecer Solar CAP | 2034 | Power purchase agreement expiry |
| Pozo Almonte II and III | 2034 | Power purchase agreement expiry |
| Javiera | 2035 | Power purchase agreement expiry |
| Tambo Real | 2037 | First plant to reach technical end of life |
Swipe to see the full table
Source: Ecobaterías Solar Observatory, cut-off 2026-09-11 · Updated 2026-09-19
These are supply contract expiries, not closures announced by the owners. An expiry opens the decision to repower, resell or remove modules; it does not mean the plant stops generating.
EPR targets: two separate timetables
Ley REP (Law No. 20,920) has been in force since 2016, but the actual targets are set by one decree per priority product. Two texts are in play today, with different legal status, and mixing them is the most common mistake in the sector. The detail is in Chile’s EPR law applied to batteries.
Legal status of table A: Supreme Decree (DS) 22/2025 was published on 2026-05-07 and its targets become enforceable 24 months later, that is, from May 2028.
| Category | First target | Final target | Calculation base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portable batteries and electrical and electronic equipment | 3% in year 1 | 45% from year 10 | Collection |
| Photovoltaic modules | 10% in year 3 (2030) | 50% in year 10 (2037) | Against estimated waste for the year |
Swipe to see the full table
Source: Supreme Decree (DS) 22/2025, Ministry of the Environment, Official Gazette (opens in a new tab) · Updated 2026-09-19
Legal status of table B as of 2026-09-18: the battery targets come from the draft approved by Res. Ex. 821/2026 (2026-02-16), put to public consultation between 2026-02-25 and 2026-04-09 with 451 comments and 33 international queries; the deadline was extended by Res. Ex. 4,225/2026 (2026-07-29) to 2027-01-29. They are not enforceable and may change: the valid reference will be the published decree.
| Category | First target | Final target | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead-acid (Art. 20) | 50% in year 1 | 90% in year 9 | Collection |
| Lithium-ion (Art. 22) | 15% in year 3 | 50% from year 10 | No target in the first two years; at least 30% of the target through preparation for reuse |
| Other chemistries (nickel, sodium, zinc) | No target | No target | Reporting obligations only |
Swipe to see the full table
Source: draft battery decree, Ministry of the Environment (Res. Ex. 821/2026) (opens in a new tab) · Updated 2026-09-19
Proposed scope, obligations and exemptions
These rows answer the question that reaches our inbox almost every week: who the battery decree covers and from what threshold. All of them come from the draft, so they read in the conditional. Who may receive the material once it leaves service is covered in what an authorized lithium battery waste manager is.
| Article | What it proposes | Threshold | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 2 No. 1 | Definition of battery for the decree | 5 kg or more | Every chemistry, plus all lead-acid regardless of weight |
| Art. 5 | Exemptions from the targets | 600 kg per year | Micro-enterprises under Law No. 20,416 and anyone below that volume |
| Art. 26 | Take-back duty at the point of sale | 400 m² | Retailers above that floor area |
| Art. 28 | Minimum network of collection points | By population band | Management systems, by municipality |
| Art. 29 | Mandatory hand-over to an authorized waste manager | No threshold | Vehicle workshops |
| Art. 40 | Annual report before 31 May through the RETC single window | 1 MWh installed | Industrial consumers and storage owners above that threshold |
Swipe to see the full table
Source: draft battery decree, Ministry of the Environment (Res. Ex. 821/2026) (opens in a new tab) · Updated 2026-09-19
Storage and electric mobility
Battery storage and the electric fleet are the two sources that will define how much lithium leaves service in Chile over the next decade. The figures below come from identified third parties and carry their own date, because they move fast.
| Figure | Value | Date of the figure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage in operation and testing | 3,072 MW / 13,528 MWh | April 2026 | National Electrical Coordinator |
| Projection for end of 2026 | 5,081 MW / 18,643 MWh | May 2026 | National Electrical Coordinator (projection) |
| Electric buses in Chile | 4,088 | February 2026 | Sector press (Latamobility) |
| Electric buses in RED Movilidad (55% of the Santiago fleet) | 3,544 | October 2025 | Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications |
| Pack capacity in the most common models | 324–385 kWh | 2026 | Manufacturer data sheets (BYD K9, Yutong E12, Foton U12) |
| Plug-in vehicles registered between January and July 2026 | 11,413 (6.4% of the market) | July 2026 | ANAC, 2026 Yearbook |
Swipe to see the full table
Sources: National Electrical Coordinator (opens in a new tab), Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications (opens in a new tab), ANAC (opens in a new tab) and Latamobility (opens in a new tab) · Updated 2026-09-19
The Coordinator figure for end of 2026 is a projection, not installed capacity. The National Energy Commission separately projects more than 20,000 MWh by the end of 2026 and more than 25,000 MWh in 2027. Ecobaterías also estimates that the first cohort of about 200 buses at 324 kWh — roughly 65 MWh of LFP and 500 to 650 t of packs — reaches contract end between 2028 and 2029; that is our own estimate, given as a range, not a declared fleet figure.
Ecobaterías technical thresholds
The thresholds below are our own: we measure them in our laboratory and they decide the route of each unit. They are not a standard or a certification; the reference standards for the method are IEC 63330-1 and UL 1974 for batteries, and IEC 61215, IEC 61730 and IEC TS 60904-13 for modules.
| Family | Threshold | Route it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Lithium-ion battery | State of health (SOH) ≥ 90% | Direct reuse |
| Lithium-ion battery | SOH ≥ 80% | Repair and return to the fleet |
| Lithium-ion battery | SOH 65–80% | Stationary second life |
| Lithium-ion battery | SOH below 65% or a safety fault | Recycling at our own plant |
| Photovoltaic module | Class P1: ≥ 85% of nameplate power | Reuse without restriction |
| Photovoltaic module | Class P2: 80–85% | Reuse with a measured-power label |
| Photovoltaic module | Class P3: 70–80% | Off-grid systems only |
| Photovoltaic module | Below 70% of nameplate power | Recycling |
| Testing time | 30 min to 6 h per pack; 6 min per module | Capacity of 150 to 250 modules per day and shift |
| Intake price for lithium-ion batteries | 22 UF per tonne + VAT (19%) | Intake at the plant |
Swipe to see the full table
Source: Ecobaterías testing protocol · Updated 2026-09-19
The UF is Chile’s inflation-indexed accounting unit, published daily by the Central Bank. Testing capacity is the laboratory’s throughput, not a contractual turnaround commitment: the real time for a batch depends on the chemistry, the condition on arrival and the number of modules per pack.
Downloading and reusing the data
The full table, with the identifier of each record, its scenario, its source and its cut-off date, is published as JSON at datos/estadisticas.json. It is the same file that feeds the figures across the site, so there are never two versions of a number.
You may reuse these figures by crediting Ecobaterías and the primary source listed in each record. If you need a more detailed series or a regional breakdown, write to us and we will assess what can be shared.
Sources
- Library of the National Congress of Chile, Law No. 20,920 on waste management and extended producer responsibility (opens in a new tab).
- Ministry of the Environment, Supreme Decree (DS) 22/2025, published in the Official Gazette (opens in a new tab) on 2026-05-07.
- Ministry of the Environment, draft supreme decree on batteries and its regulatory impact assessment (Res. Ex. 821/2026) (opens in a new tab), with the deadline extension of Res. Ex. 4,225/2026.
- Hazardous waste management regulation, Supreme Decree (DS) 148/2003, Ministry of Health.
- Ecobaterías Solar Observatory: scope, assumptions and update cycle of the photovoltaic series, cut-off 2026-09-11.
- National Electrical Coordinator (opens in a new tab) and National Energy Commission (opens in a new tab) for storage, as reported by the sector press.
- Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications (opens in a new tab), ANAC (opens in a new tab) and Latamobility (opens in a new tab) for electric mobility.
- Publishable figures and their attribution: datos/estadisticas.json by Ecobaterías, cut-off 2026-09-18.
Keep reading
DS 22/2025 for solar panels
The targets in force for photovoltaic modules and when they become enforceable.
Authorized lithium battery waste manager
Which permits the company receiving your batteries must hold, and how to check them.
Where to recycle lithium batteries in Chile
Drop-off points, what we accept and how a collection is arranged.
Need these figures applied to your own operation?
Tell us how many batteries or modules leave service each year at your site or across your fleet and we will send back the estimated volume, the route per unit and the management cost, with the valorization certificates that support your report. We reply within 48 business hours.
- Process authorized by the Seremi de Salud RM (regional health authority)
- Cobalt sulfate tested at Codelco El Teniente: 22% lower cost
- Reply within 48 business hours
- Valorization certificate for your EPR report