ENAP environmental data manipulation allegations

Sixteen former executives of the Chilean state oil company, ENAP, are facing criminal complaints following allegations that they manipulated environmental data at the Aconcagua refinery between 2021 and 2025. Families from the Quintero and Puchuncaví communes filed the complaints in the Valparaíso region, alleging that officials altered sulfur recovery efficiency parameters to provide false information to the national environmental regulator. These alterations were reportedly intended to meet performance targets linked to executive bonuses.

Following these revelations, the Mayor of Hualpén has requested that the Comptroller General investigate whether similar irregularities in sulfur calculation methodologies have occurred at ENAP’s plant in the Bío Bío region. Local authorities have expressed concern that inactive monitoring stations during pollution events have hindered the assessment of environmental impacts. Experts have noted that inconsistencies in reporting emissions, specifically hydrogen sulfide gas, raise significant questions regarding air quality and public health in the affected areas.