-- Enel Americas reported Q1 earnings Thursday, showing that total net generation dropped to 8.8 terawatt-hours, compared to 9.6 TWh a year earlier.
Production declines in Q1 were most pronounced in the company's key markets, with net generation in Brazil falling by 11% year-on-year to 4.3 TWh as wind and solar output dropped to 2.5 TWh from 3.1 TWh.
Net generation in Colombia and Central America slipped by 6% to 4.4 TWh, mainly due to lower hydroelectric generation in Colombia. Enel Americas said its total energy sales also dropped to 11.0 TWh.
However, despite the weaker generation, the utility expanded its distribution business, adding about 377,000 new customers to reach a total of 23.1 million. Deployment of smart meters rose by 65% to 2.4 million units.
The utility said its total installed capacity reached 12.1 gigawatts in Q1, of which 96% is renewable. Hydropower accounted for 41% of capacity, while wind and solar represented 29% and 26%, respectively.
Brazil remained the company's largest market with 6.6 GW of installed capacity, followed by Colombia with 4.5 GW. Enel Americas has 0.3 GW of projects currently under construction in Colombia.
The group said 99% of its Q1 output was emission-free, up from 98% in the same period last year.