Chile regulator files charges against ENAP Aconcagua refinery over false information

SANTIAGO — Chile's Superintendency of the Environment (SMA) has notified state-owned ENAP Refinerías S.A. of four charges over its Aconcagua refinery in Concón, two of them preliminarily classified as very serious over the alleged delivery of false and incomplete information.

The SMA said its analysis showed the company manipulated data to simulate compliance with a 98% minimum annual sulfur recovery efficiency between 2023 and 2025, with recalculated efficiencies of 94.1%, 90.5% and 90.2%. It said the company omitted flaring from sulfur dioxide reports and exceeded a limit of 1,145 tons a year, reaching 1,277 tons in 2023 and 1,168 tons in 2024.

If the charges are confirmed, the company faces fines of up to 22,000 annual tax units (UTA), which the SMA said exceeds $19 million. ENAP has 15 business days to present a compliance program and 22 business days to file its defense, according to the SMA. The SMA said it will refer the case to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Comptroller General.