An investment of close to US$200 million is projected for the next two years, to meet other environmental commitments.
Yesterday, ENAP’s Aconcagua Refinery made an annual report at a meeting with social leaders and authorities of around 120 people at its sports field where it announced the principal results of its community relations work, together with the social investment made this year.
The manager of ENAP Aconcagua Refinery, Jorge Santander, presented the executed projects and assured that sustainability is one of the mainstays of the company's work. In this context, the company allocated about US$140 million to initiatives to strengthen the operation, including improvements in environmental performance.
The most significant milestone in 2023 was the start-up of the Wet Gas Scrubber, a project that began three years ago and is now enabling the refinery to significantly reduce its emissions of particulate matter and sulfur dioxide.
According to Santander, an investment of around US$ 200 million is planned for the next two years to comply with other environmental commitments, such as a new sulfur recovery plant.
The mayor of Concón, Freddy Ramírez, and the CEO of ENAP, Julio Friedmann, were present at the meeting. The main local thanked the company for its willingness to establish a new way of working with the neighbors. "We have created a perfect triad between the municipality, the state-owned company, and the community. Today, each in its own role and with the logic of social responsibility, we have had important joint achievements", said Ramírez, emphasizing "the investment that ENAP has made to reduce environmental contamination and that today we have made transparent to the community."
Meanwhile, Julio Friedmann explained that some time ago "we decided to have –in all matters– a very open and transparent relationship. It is very satisfying to see the fruits of this strategy today. The conclusion is that we are on the right track, we can improve, and we are doing exactly what we wanted to do: have a direct and frank relationship," he said.
Collaboration and priority needs
During his speech, the manager of Aconcagua refinery detailed ENAP's promotion of recycling with the installation of green points and the consolidation of a waste management model with the collaboration of various actors, such as the Concón Tourism and Gastronomy Businessmen's Association. They have also developed actions with the municipality to protect the wetlands of Parque La Isla.
Regarding the quality of life in the territories, Jorge Santander pointed out that the Competitive Funds, provided since 2016, "have proven to be an effective tool to materialize projects that address priority needs of the communities, such as the recovery of green areas and infrastructure improvements". In 2023, "almost $ 95 million were awarded in 21 projects of the ENAP Impulsa Competitive Funds, demonstrating the commitment we have to the development and well-being of the communities", he said, specifying that, to this, $ 39 million is added from the Environmental Innovation Contest.
In terms of training, ENAP has contributed to the human development of communities by training more than 820 people in various trades and topics, including a Leadership School for social leaders.
Alejandra Arias, the president of the group of artisans, Manos Elementales, who attended the meeting, said "This is very interesting because we do not always have the opportunity to reach the authorities." On the balance sheet, what she most appreciated was "the investment that ENAP is making in the environment to improve and modernize its processes."