Chile's environmental regulator SMA ordered the temporary shutdown of Endesa Chile's 128MW Bocamina I coal-fired unit, after the plant's cooling intake sucked in a shoal of sardines from Coronel bay. Endesa Chile announced it took the plant offline on January 27, one day prior to receiving the SMA order to halt operations, due to the presence of sardines in its cooling system. The company announced it would submit documents proving it has complied with all measures requested by the SMA and hopes to have the temporary shutdown lifted in less than 15 days.

The company is currently evaluating the financial impact of the shutdown, which will be determined by the length of time the plant is offline. Going forward, the company plans to provide SMA with a weekly report on the biomass found in the complex's filtration system. Bocamina II, a 350MW coal plant adjacent to the first unit of the Bocamina complex in region VIII, had its operations halted in December by the Concepción appeals court.