Peru Ministry of Energy and Mines proposes phased environmental certification for electric projects

The Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) has published a draft supreme decree to incorporate Article 8-A into the Regulations for Environmental Protection in Electrical Activities. The proposal aims to establish provisions for the fractional environmental certification of electrical projects that require differentiated evaluations due to their technical or spatial characteristics.

Under the proposal, projects could undergo environmental assessments by sections, stages, or sectors of work. Minem clarified that this measure does not reduce environmental requirements; the evaluation category will be determined based on the project in its entirety and will apply to all fractions. For example, if a project requires a detailed Environmental Impact Study (EIA-d), every fraction must maintain that same level of rigor.

The initiative is framed within the exceptions provided by the National Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA). Minem suggests that phased certification could accelerate the start of construction for certain projects by several months, allowing sections that meet technical and environmental conditions to proceed with evaluations without waiting for the entire project scope to be finalized.

The draft is open for public, private, and citizen comments for a period of 15 calendar days following its publication.