Puerto Coronel Coal Terminal
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The Puerto Coronel Coal Terminal is an operating coal terminal located at the Port of Coronel in Biobío, Chile. The terminal supplies thermal coal for electricity generation at the nearby Santa María power station.
Location
The Puerto Coronel Coal Terminal (Terminal Granelero) is located just offshore from the coal-fired Santa María Power Station in the port of Coronel, Biobío, Chile.[1][2]
Background
In 2008, the Compañía Puerto de Coronel SA began constructing a bulk cargo pier capable of handling coal imports for Colbún's Santa María power station[3], a new coal-fired power plant just 1500 meters from the port.[4] Coal was to be delivered directly from the new pier (known as Muelle Granelero or Terminal Granelero) to the power plant via a 2700-meter conveyor belt.[3] Colbún signed a 40-year contract with the Port of Coronel for use of the pier[4], with the option of a 10-year extension.[3][5] The pier began operating in 2011.[6][7]
The environmental impact assessment for the new coal terminal identified a coal processing capacity of 1.7 mtpa (million tonnes per annum).[8] Initial coal handling operations of approximately 850,000 tpa were expected to grow to 2 mtpa with the commissioning of the Santa María power station's Unit 2[3]; however, the second unit was ultimately cancelled in the face of widespread community opposition.[9][10]
Data from a Chilean investment fund shows that roughly 1.5 million tonnes of coal were processed by the Puerto Coronel coal terminal in 2014 (7,020,502 tonnes of total cargo, 22% of which was identified as coal).[11]
In 2018, coal throughput via the Puerto Coronel terminal reportedly increased to 1.86 million tonnes (7,772,995 of total cargo, with 23.9% identified as coal).[12][13]
According to data from Ember, 1.31 megatonnes of coal was imported via the Port of Coronel in 2020, the vast majority of which was thermal coal from Colombia.[14] However, it's not clear whether Ember's data refer to the Puerto Coronel coal terminal, the Cabo Froward coal terminal, or both terminals combined.
Multiple sources confirm that Colombia is a primary source for the coal consumed at Colbún's Santa María power station.[15][16] From 2017 to 2020, Puerto Bolivar (Colombia) was the single largest source of coal imported through the port of Coronel.[14]
The Puerto Coronel coal terminal's operating lifespan will ultimately be limited by Chile's decision to phase out coal-fired power plants by 2040.[17] However, as of 2026, the Santa María power station remained one of the few Chilean coal plants without a fixed retirement date.[18]
Project Details
- Operator: Compañía Puerto de Coronel SA[6][8]
- Location: Coronel, Biobío, Chile[19]
- Annual Coal Capacity (Tonnes): 1.7 mtpa[8]
- Status: Operating
- Start Year: 2011[6]
- Type: Imports[6]
- Coal source: Colombia[14][15][16]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ "Estudio de análisis de dos opciones tecnológicas de reconversión de las termoeléctricas y su integración al Sistema Eléctrico Nacional (p 113)" (PDF). Ministerio de Energía. 2021-09-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Instalaciones". Puerto Coronel. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Los nuevos proyectos de Puerto Coronel". MundoMarítimo. 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Puerto de Coronel duplicará las toneladas embarcadas este año". MundoMaritimo. 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Puerto de Coronel se prepara para comenzar a operar muelle granelero". MundoMaritimo. 2010-07-05. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Quienes Somos: Conoce Nuestra Historia". Puerto Coronel. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Memoria Anual 2016: Fondo de Inversión PRIME -INFRAESTRUCTURA (p 19)" (PDF). CMB - PRIME Administradora General de Fondos S.A. 2017-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "RESOLUCIÓN EXENTA Nº 276/2007: Califica Ambientalmente Proyecto "Construcción Muelle Granelero, Puerto de Coronel, Comuna de Coronel", presentado por Compañía Puerto de Coronel S.A." Gobierno de Chile: Comisión Nacional del Medio Ambiente. 2007-10-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Colbún decidió no ampliar termoeléctrica Santa María de Coronel", cooperativa.cl, June 23, 2017.
- ↑ "Colbún decide no completar su complejo termoeléctrico Santa María de Coronel", biobiochile.cl, June 23, 2017.
- ↑ "Memoria Anual 2014 (pp 20-21)". CMB - PRIME Administradora General de Fondos S.A. 2015-01-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Memoria Anual 2018 (pp 19-20)" (PDF). CMB - PRIME Administradora General de Fondos S.A. 2019-03-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Rodrigo Schilling, Puerto Coronel: atendemos en promedio tres servicios mensuales de naves con carga de graneles". MundoMaritimo. 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Ember Shipping Dashboard - Ember". Ember. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Actualización Informe Prueba de Consumo Específico - Unidad Generadora Central Santa María (p 4)" (PDF). Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional. 2021-03-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Anteproyecto del Programa para la Recuperación Ambiental y Social de Coronel (p 169)" (PDF). Ministerio del Medio Ambiente. 2017-09-29.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 66 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Plan de Descarbonización". Ministerio de Energía. 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2026-09-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Boom and Bust Coal 2026 (p 72)" (PDF). Global Energy Monitor. 2026-05-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ SeaRates. "Information and Characteristics about Coronel Port Chile – Searates". SeaRates. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
