By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Nov. 26 -- Petro Rubiales Energy Corp., Vancouver, BC, said it plans to truck Rubiales field crude to Guaduas field in Colombia for export via the OCENSA pipeline, gradually ending local sales of the heavy oil and as much as doubling netbacks eventually.
Once it reaches Guaduas, the 12.5° gravity Rubiales crude will be blended with crude as light as 18° gravity and the diluted blend will be shipped via the pipeline to the Covenas terminal on the Caribbean Sea as part of the Vasconia stream.
Volumes of as much as 4,000 b/d are to be trucked shortly. New Guaduas unloading facilities expected to be available at the end of first quarter 2008 are to be able to handle 20,000 b/d.
Shipments are expected to grow later to 200,000 b/d with construction of a pipeline to eliminate the trucking. The line is expected to begin service in third quarter 2009.
Petro Rubiales, which said it plans to expand production capacity at Rubiales field to 126,000 b/d from 24,000 b/d, has announced a plan to merge with Pacific Stratus Energy Ltd., Toronto, which owns the tank farm at Guaduas field on the Caguan Block (OGJ Online, Nov. 13, 2007).