After discovering the first oil well in the country, in the Springhill area in Magallanes, on December 29, 1945, the Chilean Government decided to create Empresa Nacional del Petróleo, which was officially established on June 19, 1950 with the publication of Law Nº 9,618. The finding of oil in Springhill, carried out by the team of explorers headed by engineer Eduardo Simian Gallet, led to the drilling of new producer wells. The team headed by Mr. Simian recommended the creation of ENAP to the Corporación de Fomento de la Producción (Corfo), to commercially exploit the reservoirs found in Magallanes.

One of the first targets of the newly born company was to create an oil refining plant in the country, achieved in 1954 with the start-up of Concón Oil Refinery (today Aconcagua Refinery). In 1959 the first logistic facilities for storage and distribution of refined fuels were built in Maipú, and the following year the Gregorio maritime terminal was built in Magallanes.

Cullen Gasoline Plant (Magallanes) started operating in 1962, and continued in 1966 with the opening of the second refining plant in the country in the Eighth Region, today Bío Bío Refinery, and the construction of a multiple purpose pipeline from this Refining Plant to San Fernando, in the Sixth Region. From this city, this pipeline connects with another managed by Sonacol, which transfers fuels to the Storage Plant located in Maipú, in the Metropolitan Region.

In 1981 ENAP entered the logistic business, with storage plants for liquid and gas fuels in Maipú, San Fernando and Linares. Currently, this activity is carried out through the Storage and Oil Pipelines Department, which is a part of Enap Refinerías S.A.

On January 1st, 2004, the refining plants merged into one company: Enap Refinerías S.A.

In 1990, ENAP established Sociedad Internacional Petrolera S.A., to explore and exploit hydrocarbon deposits abroad. This subsidiary changed its name to Enap Sipetrol S.A. in 2005.

In the Magallanes area, ENAP exploits the only hydrocarbon deposits with a commercial value in the country, and provides oil and port logistic services to important customers operating in the energy sector. Also, during the last two years it has started a strong exploratory campaign of new gas reservoirs in Magallanes, and established new alliances with other companies in order to diversify the energy sources in the country.

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