NEW YORK, NY, Aug. 27, 2012 -- Under a new $100 million contract, New York-based RWL Water Group will design and construct a "produced water" desalination plant for Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. (TSX: PRE; BVC: PREC; BOVESPA: PREB), the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production company in Colombia.
The project was awarded to RWL subsidiary Nirosoft, which will also provide operation and maintenance (O&M) of the plant for a period of ten years.
The plant will be located at Pacific Rubiales' oil field in the Meta region of Puerto Gaitan and will produce 500,000 water barrels per day. The "produced water," a by-product of the petroleum extraction, will be treated by the Nirosoft water purification system to meet environmental discharge requirements. Nirosoft's treatment process will replace the current process whereby produced water is disposed by deep well injection, and will provide desalinated water for agricultural use to grow trees, thus alleviating costs and improving sustainability standards.
To develop a custom solution for this project, Nirosoft operated a pilot plant unit on-site for six months and optimized the process design on the basis of the test results. The final plant design has addressed significant technological challenges involving the removal of hydrocarbons. The plant will consist of various pre-treatment stages with innovative separation and filtration technologies, prior to the high recovery reverse osmosis system. The treatment plant will further limit environmental impact by minimizing brine rejection with a final sludge treatment.
"We are very excited to have won this tender," says Henry Charrabe, RWL Water Group CEO. "This project is another important milestone for the RWL Water Group in building our global experience and providing innovative water solutions for our customers."
Along with continued development and remarkable results, Pacific Rubiales has displayed an ongoing awareness of the environment, seeking "green" solutions in cooperation with the Colombian environmental authorities and world leaders from the water treatment industry. These solutions, such as developed by Nirosoft, serve as global pioneering achievements, and will be further adopted for similar oil and gas applications worldwide.
"This is an exciting win-win project for Pacific Rubiales, providing an innovative, lower cost and sustainable alternative to manage water production from our Rubiales oil field, as well as establishing a new green industry that benefits the region. We needed a partner with leading edge technology and global experiences," says Ronald Pantin, Pacific Rubiales CEO. "We couldn't be happier with the selection of Nirosoft Industries Ltd., and are looking forward to a strong working relationship."
About Nirosoft
Nirosoft creates cost-effective, custom solutions for challenging water and wastewater treatment projects anywhere in the world. With its focus on meeting the unique requirements and site-specific conditions of industrial, municipal, non-government and military customers, Nirosoft uses advanced technologies to solve water-related problems quickly. Nirosoft provides a range of solutions, including desalination, demineralization, effluent reclamation, mobile water purification and industrial wastewater treatment systems to all types of environments -- from densely populated areas to remote communities as well as complex industrial applications. Founded in Israel, Nirosoft has operations throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America.
Nirosoft Industries Ltd. is a part of the RWL Water Group portfolio, which also includes AEROMIX Systems Inc. in the U.S. and Eurotec WTT S.r.l. in Italy. Services from all three companies are offered to each RWL Water customer. RWL Water is a global water solution provider based in New York, with offerings ranging from conceptual design to turnkey projects including project financing (BOT) as well as the operation and maintenance of water, wastewater and waste-to-energy treatment plants worldwide.
About RWL Water Group
RWL Water Group is a water, wastewater and waste-to-energy systems integrator founded by Ronald S. Lauder. RWL Water is a rapidly growing global water treatment business that will meet the world's increasing need for clean water through the utilization of advanced water purification recycling technologies.
The company has designed plants for clients on all seven continents to help industrial and municipal clients treat their complex wastewater effluents in affordable, energy efficient ways. With more than 3,000 sites installed in over 70 countries around the world, RWL Water has a reputation for superb engineering, management and execution -- with affordable financing options for mid-size projects.
The company's core operations are strategically located in North America, the Middle East and Europe to provide custom solutions through our network of sales, service, technical and engineering professionals worldwide.
For more information on RWL Water Group and Nirosoft, please visit www.RWLwater.com.
About Pacific Rubiales
Pacific Rubiales, a Canadian-based company and producer of natural gas and heavy crude oil, owns 100 percent of Meta Petroleum Corp., a Colombian oil operator which operates the Rubiales, Piriri and Quifa oil fields in the Llanos Basin in association with Ecopetrol, S.A., the Colombian national oil company, and 100 percent of Pacific Stratus Energy Corp. which operates the La Creciente natural gas field. The Company is focused on identifying opportunities primarily within the eastern Llanos Basin of Colombia as well as in other areas in Colombia and northern Peru. Pacific Rubiales has working interests in 43 blocks in Colombia, Peru and Guatemala.
The Company's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and La Bolsa de Valores de Colombia and as Brazilian Depositary Receipts on Brazil's Bolsa de Valores Mercadorias e Futuros under the ticker symbols PRE, PREC, and PREB, respectively.
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