A little more than 25 years have passed since a milestone was made for the Chilean financial market: for the first time a company in the energy sector, listed in the IPSA, entered the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the most important financial center in the world. With this step, Enersis S.A. became a point of reference among Chilean companies when they went out in search of foreign capital beyond the borders of their country of origin.
A quarter of a century later, a new milestone has taken place. The traditional "Closing Bell" that closes the day on Wall Street, has a Chilean company with assets in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina as the protagonist. This is the continuation of the story that began with Enersis 25 years ago, but, in 2016, took on a new name and a new corporate structure: Enel Américas S.A.
A new impulse in the region
A new stage began for the company between 2015 and 2016. After restructuring, the electric power generation and distribution activities, which were developed in Chile and the rest of the South American countries, were separated. On December 01, 2016, Enersis Américas’ activities in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru transformed into Enel Américas S.A.
“Today, Enel Américas is the largest private electricity company in Latin America, with an installed capacity -as of December 31, 2018- of 11,257 MW and with more than 24.5 million customers.”
It is also a company that projects beyond these achievements, with an expansion plan in the region supported by its shareholders in April 2019 through a capital increase of 3 billion dollars, with the objective of strengthening the flexibility of the Company’s balance to face a new stage of growth and take advantage of potential strategic investment opportunities.
Enel consolidates in Brazil
Enel Americas stands out as the leading private player in the energy sector in South America's main economy. Its presence in Brazil is materialized throughout the entire energy production chain, with activities in the areas of generation, transmission, distribution, and commercialization, as well as providing an innovative offer in energy solutions.
“Through Enel Brasil and its subsidiaries Cachoeira Dourada, Volta Grande, and Fortaleza, the first two with hydroelectric technology and the third one with thermal technology, add a gross installed capacity of 1,365 MW.”
In the distribution market, it stands out as the leading market player in Brazil. Through distributors in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Ceará, Goiás, and Sao Paulo, it delivers electricity to nearly 17 million residential, commercial, industrial, rural, and public customers.
On the other hand, in the commercialization market, it buys and sells conventional and incentive energy in the free market, while in the transmission market, it maintains a strategic asset for the energy integration of Mercosur: Enel Cien, the company responsible for converting and transmitting energy from Brazil to Argentina, and vice versa.
Protagonists in Colombia, Argentina, and Peru
The role in the energy market in the region is also present in Colombia, Peru, and Argentina.
“In Colombia, Enel Américas is present through the largest electricity generation company in the country: Emgesa, which operations are distributed in 14 generation plants, highlighting among them, El Guavio, the largest hydroelectric plant in the country. In distribution, its subsidiary Codensa is the company with the largest market share, delivering electricity to more than 3.4 million customers in Bogotá and in more than 100 municipalities in the department of Cundinamarca.”
Likewise, Enel Américas is active in the electricity business in Peru, operating both in the distribution and generation sectors. This is how Enel Distribución Peru is one of the top distributors in the country with more than 1.4 million customers and providing service to more than half of the population of Metropolitan Lima.
For its part, Enel Generación Perú is one of the largest competitors in the country with 15.02% of the total power of the National Interconnected Electric System - SEIN, which is generated by 7 hydroelectric plants, 5 in Lima and 2 in Junín, and 2 thermal power plants located in the Cercado de Lima and in the constitutional province of Callao. To this we can add, Enel Generación Piura, a company located in the province of Talara, which carries out both generation activities, through 3 thermoelectric power plants, as well as energy commercialization, and also maintains a presence in the natural gas business.
The presence of Enel Américas is also represented in the Argentine electricity market. Its participation in the generation market is the largest private one, thanks to its subsidiaries Costanera, El Chocón, and Central Dock Sud, which as a whole, own 11.8% of the installed capacity of the Argentine National Interconnected System. Regarding the distribution of electricity, it provides energy to the southern area of Greater Buenos Aires through Edesur, providing service to more than 2.5 million customers.
Leaders in the energy transition
Strengthening its leadership in the world of energy, Enel Américas is also present in Brazil, Argentina, and Peru through a company oriented towards innovation, sustainability, and digitalization. Thanks to Enel X, it acts as an integrator of smart solutions, connecting residential and commercial customers with the technologies that are transforming the traditional electricity sector.
Thus, through the development of products and services for people, companies, cities, and promoting the development of electric transport, Enel X is promoting the discovery of new ways of relating to energy in Latin America, and in the world.
A sustainable future
Innovation and sustainability are fundamental pillars of the vision of Enel Américas and its subsidiaries integrated into the business strategy in its role of leading the region's inclusive energy growth. The Shared Value Creation model and the UN Sustainable Development Commitments (ODS) of the Enel Group have been ratified by several international awards.
In September 2017, Enel Américas entered into the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), which annually measures the performance of more than 2,500 large companies listed in the most relevant stock exchanges around the world. In September 2018, it entered the DJSI Latin American Integrated Market (MILA) category and the DJSI Emerging Market. As a result of this evaluation, it was confirmed as one of the companies with the best score in the electric utilities category, being highlighted as Industry Mover and included, for the first time, in "The Sustainability Yearbook 2019" by the specialist investment firm RobecoSAM, which aims to distinguish companies that have demonstrated their strengths in this area.
“In June 2019, it was confirmed in the FTSE4Good Index Series, to which it entered in September 2017 in the Emerging Markets Index and Latin America Index categories. This index was created in 2001 by the global index company FTSE Russell, belonging to the London Stock Exchange Group, and includes more than 300 indicators in 14 different topics, grouped into three pillars: environmental, social, and corporate governance.”
In July 2019 it was also ratified among Vigeo-Eiris’ "Best emerging Markets Performers", which it entered in June 2018. This includes the 800 best performing companies in 31 emerging market countries.
Finally, in May 2019, it joined the MSCI EM SRI Index, which includes the best performing companies in emerging markets in 26 countries, excluding companies with products with negative socio-environmental impact.
These achievements are not the end of this story, but the foundations of what is to come: the consolidation of a growth strategy, being a leading actor in the energy transition, building the region’s sustainable future.