Chile's largest power producer, Empresa Nacional de Electricidad SA (EOC, ENDESA.SN), said that its first-quarter net profit rose 3.3% from a year earlier to 96.86 billion Chilean pesos ($209.6 million), mainly on higher physical sales in Argentina, Colombia and Peru.

A severe drought in Chile, where Endesa has 38% of its installed capacity, however, crimped hydroelectric power generation and pared back the company's bottom line.

Endesa has 13,846 megawatts of installed capacity distributed in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru. It also an equity stake in 987MW of installed capacity in Brazil.

Some 59% of Endesa's capacity is in hydroelectric generation and the rest in thermal-generation plants.

The power generator's revenue rose to CLP573.94 billion from CLP530.03 billion in the same period a year ago.

Endesa's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, fell 10.8% to CLP201.37 billion, due to tax changes in Colombia.

Endesa is controlled by power holding company Enersis SA (ENI, ENERSIS.SN), which in turn is controlled by Spain's Endesa SA (ELEZF, ELE.MC).

In late afternoon trading, Endesa's shares fell 1.3% to CLP865.00, while the blue-chip Ipsa index fell 0.2%.

Over the last 52 weeks, the shares have traded at a low of CLP780.61 and at a high of CLP936.64; the stock has gained 7.4% over the same period.

-By Anthony Esposito, Dow Jones Newswires; 56-2-715-8929; anthony.esposito@dowjones.com