PARIS, FRANCE, May 6, 2014 -- Ecopetrol America Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Ecopetrol S.A. (the national Colombian oil company), has awarded a contract to Veolia, an environmental and water services and technology provider, to provide equipment and services used to treat the produced water from Ecopetrol S.A.'s Castilla oil fields in Colombia's Llanos Basin, southeast of Bogota.
In the framework of this contract, worth approximately $73 million (around €60 million), Veolia will design and supply the equipment and material and supervise installation and commissioning, as well as start up, pre-operate and assist in the operations.
The technologies implemented by Veolia were selected for their efficiency and robust design, intended for heavy-duty remote areas where high reliability and low maintenance are required. Further, their very low energy and chemical consumption will contribute to building environmentally-sound water treatment facilities, while enabling Ecopetrol S.A to continue its expansion of the Castilla site, thereby increasing production of oil.
Produced water is separated from the oil at the wellhead, but it must undergo a process to eliminate oil residue, suspended solids, chemicals, and other contaminants before it can be reintroduced into the ecosystem. Veolia will provide an integrated system to remove and recover oil from the produced water, treat sludge and cool the water prior to discharge
The project is divided into three trains, each with eight Corrugated Plate Interceptor units, 15 AutoFlot™ Induced Gas Flotation Units and 13 PowerClean™ walnut shell filters, followed by cooling towers in the final step. Veolia will provide engineering and raw materials to interconnect the treatment equipment and automation systems for control. Sludge will be treated by specialized equipment designed to recover liquid and reduce sludge volume.
See also:
"Industrial Markets to Power Veolia Water's Future"
"Produced water evaporation system for SAGD project launched in Alberta"
About Veolia Environnement
Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE and NYSE: VE) is the worldwide reference in environmental solutions. With 220,000 employees, the company has operations all around the world and provides tailored solutions to meet the needs of municipal and industrial customers in three complementary segments: water management, waste management and energy management. Veolia Environnement recorded revenue of $31 billion in 2013. For more information, vist www.veolia.com.
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