This fund is part of Enel's strategy that focuses on the communities that live within the area of the Company´s influence.  In this particular case, the Company seeks to promote and boost the local economic setup. The program supports ideas and projects elaborated by of people who work in labors related to artisanal fishing such as female algae harvesters, filleters, women who smoke, or dry the catch, as well as divers and small fishermen.

The Biobío Region artisanal fishing sector and those who work in the pre- and post-fishing tasks, are currently experiencing economic problems as a result overextraction of the fishing resources. To prevent the total disappearance of various species, the government has imposed certain restrictions on the extraction of several species and reduced volumes as well as establishing specific extraction dates. This condition significantly affected the economic wellbeing of the families linked to artisanal fishing and made their living conditions more vulnerable. The possibility of changing careers without any public or private support is barely existent for the thousands of people from the coastal areas of the Biobío Region and especially from Coronel, an area that has specialized in this activity since the 1980s.

The artisanal fishing fund is closely related to the situation that affected the sector in 2013 and 2014 when, because of high social pressure and simmering social conflicts, Enel Generación Chile signed two agreements with 25 artisanal fishermen´s unions. The company established an annual compensation for each of the organization's 2,725 members, a payment process that ended in 2019.

In 2019, Enel Generación Chile and 20 fishermen's unions and algae harvesters set up a working group to implement community relationship programs and contribute to local development, under the principles of public-private partnerships, social involvement, and transparency. The groups worked out the correct conditions for a dialogue which led to a long-term collaboration agreement for the economic development of Coronel signed in December of that year.

One of the main points of this agreement was to design and implement the Enel Fund for the Development of Colonel's Artisanal Fishing. It is a competition-based fund, which will be in force during the life cycle of the Bocamina thermoelectric complex that is to say, until 2022.

In 2020, the first call of the fund was made, offering financing for projects ranging from 550 thousand pesos up to a maximum of 2.5 million pesos for infrastructures related to economic development including expenses such as equipment and machinery. The organizers prioritized projects oriented at artisanal fishing , but also those that promoted the conversion of the fishing trade  into other  labor areas. The people who participate in the program are mainly seafood divers, algae harvesters, seafood processors, artisanal fishermen, entrepreneurs of various areas and different ages.

The fund funded projects as diverse as modernizing boats, or producing gourmet marine products, but also financed the creation of  urban orchards and an internet café.

The projects were initially analyzed by a committee of evaluators and subsequently, a jury composed of the public and private sector representatives selected the 583 winners. The resources provided for the projects totaled 720 million pesos, in the first call.

Thanks to the project the Company has managed to make a fundamental change in the relationship with the fishermen´s unions because today the connection between the two is based on the principles of a public-private partnership, development, social involvement, and transparency.

The tender papers and more information on the forthcoming calls are available at www.fondoscoronel.cl.

People interested in making an enquiry or receiving information can call the following number: +569 3934 2954.