FEATURE
Gregorio Refinery
Located in Chile’ s Magallanes region, Gregorio is the world’ s southernmost refinery. It processes more than 200,000 cubic metres of crude oil annually, supplying diesel, aviation kerosene and other fuels for southern Chile, maritime customers and Antarctic operations. Winter temperatures can fall below 0 ° F and winds exceed 75mph in the region.
In a location where reliability isn’ t optional, and where maintenance access is limited, our systems deliver relentless uptime and consistent performance, even in the harshest of environments. also reduces some of the technology risk associated with adopting a new generation platform. Rather than beginning with an untested installation, the company can assess operational data from the existing 1.4MW system before extending the architecture to 2.2MW.
Distributed power gains ground
The project also reflects a broader change in the way industrial organisations are approaching energy resilience. Behind-the-meter generation allows facilities to produce electricity close to where it is consumed, reducing dependence on centralised infrastructure and potentially giving operators greater control over reliability, efficiency and emissions.
This approach can be particularly relevant for energy-intensive industrial sites in remote areas. Long transmission distances, constrained grid infrastructure and difficult maintenance conditions can increase operational risk, while interruptions can have significant financial and logistical consequences.
Microturbines offer one route to addressing those challenges. Capstone positions its systems as lower-emission alternatives for continuous on-site power, with applications spanning industrial and commercial facilities as well as emerging data centre workloads.
At Gregorio, the system will use pipeline natural gas, giving the refinery an on-site source of generation suited to continuous critical operations. The additional 800kW will increase total Capstone capacity by more than 57 %, creating a larger distributed generation resource at the site.
Cristian Balic, Principal at ISPG, said the refinery needed reliable generation capable of operating under extreme conditions while also helping reduce emissions and operating costs.
“ The existing Capstone installation has answered that challenge decisively, delivering strong operational performance while helping address load variability, lower maintenance requirements, and achieve efficiency objectives. Balic said.
“ This follow-on order reflects ENAP’ s continued confidence in Capstone’ s ability to support its refinery’ s evolving energy needs,” Balic said.
The emphasis on load variability is significant. Industrial facilities rarely consume electricity at a completely constant rate. Generation systems that can respond effectively to changing demand can help operators manage energy use without sacrificing availability for essential equipment.
Latin American opportunity
For Capstone, the Chilean order also strengthens its position in Latin America, where mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, telecommunications and other energy-intensive sectors often operate far from major grid infrastructure.
Patagonia illustrates the opportunity particularly clearly. Geography and climate place unusual demands on infrastructure, making resilience a fundamental design requirement rather than an optional enhancement.
Capstone argues that demand is increasing for clean, reliable and continuously available on-site power across the region. Repeat orders such as ENAP’ s are important because they demonstrate how distributed generation can move from an initial deployment into a larger part of an organisation’ s energy strategy.
The project also highlights the role of local distribution partners. ISPG secured the order and provides Capstone with in-country market expertise, an important factor when deploying specialised generation technology into complex industrial environments.
ENAP itself operates across exploration and production, refining and commercialisation. As Chile’ s state-owned energy company, its infrastructure has national and regional importance, while Gregorio occupies an unusually
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