From 1960 until 2010, Chile entertained and studied the option of developing nuclear power capabilities in cooperation with the IAEA. However, the findings from national studies conducted in 2010 and in 2015 determined that Chiles’s development of nuclear power as an alternative energy source and implementation of a nuclear energy policy would be contingent on further analyses on the country’s technical, economic, and societal readiness. Currently, nuclear energy is not part of Chile’s energy mix or its energy transition strategy to convert 70% of its total energy consumption to renewable energy sources.

As of 2018, Chile does not operate a nuclear power reactor, but operates two research reactors managed by the Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear (CCHEN). According to the IAEA, CCHEN has acquired the knowledge to produce uranium ore concentrate, convert uranium hexafluoride, and fabricate fuel for material test reactors (MTRs), used for research purposes. Fuel elements are low-enriched and fabricated from uranium originating from Russia, the United States, and China. 

Chile has signed, ratified, and enforced the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in September of 2017, September of 2021, and December of 2021, respectively.