Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has commissioned a grassroots processing unit—a first of its kind in the Americas—as part of the operator’s long-planned expansion and upgrade of its Refinaria Abreu e Lima (RNEST) refinery in Ipojuca, Pernambuco, in northeast Brazil (OGJ Online, Jan. 18, 2024) the new atmospheric emissions abatement (SNOX) unit—which converts sulfur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) into sulfuric acid marketable to third parties for treatment and generation of drinking water—enables the refinery to increase its current 88,000-b/d crude processing capacity by 27,000 b/d to 115,000 b/d in compliance with the atmospheric emissions limit set by the site’s local environmental regulator Startup of the new unit also will help RNEST to improve energy efficiency at the site via reuse of excess steam created during the SNOX unit’s SOx-eliminating process elsewhere in the refinery as the reused steam will enable the operator to reduce its consumption of gas otherwise required to generate steam for other refining processes Upon announcing commissioning of the SNOX unit Petrobras also confirmed that preparations remain under way to begin work on RNEST’s Train 1 expansion that will lift the unit’s crude processing capacity by another 15,000 b/d Petrobras also confirmed in the mid-December releases that it will begin the contracting process for RNEST’s Train 2 project to bring site’s overall crude processing to 260,000 b/d.  Upon completing RNEST’s combined expansion and modernization works, Petrobras aims to increase its supply of high-demand low-carbon products, including 13 million l./day of 100% low-sulfur S-10 diesel (10 ppm sulfur) diesel (OGJ Online, Feb. 13, 2024) Robert Brelsford joined Oil & Gas Journal in October 2013 as downstream technology editor after 8 years as a crude oil price and news reporter on spot crude transactions at the US Gulf Coast He holds a BA (2000) in English from Rice University and an MS (2003) in education and social policy from Northwestern University This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region. 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects Analysis, reports, news and interviews about your industry in English, Spanish and Portuguese. By sparked controversy this Saturday by suggesting that he would use troops from Brazil to "liberate" Puerto Rico from what he termed the "colonization" by the United States inviting a possible war or armed confrontation The statements were made during the closing of the International Antifascist World Festival an event broadcasted by the state channel VTV that coincided with his swearing-in for a third consecutive term "Just as the north has a colonization agenda and that agenda was written for us by Simón Bolívar with the troops from Brazil and Abreu e Lima leading the way," affirmed Maduro He was referring to the Brazilian military figure José Ignacio Abreu e Lima (April 6 who participated in key battles for Venezuela's independence under the command of Simón Bolívar In the same event, Maduro proclaimed that Venezuela, along with Cuba and Nicaragua to defend what he described as "the right to peace and sovereignty." “no one should be mistaken about Venezuela,” as he claims that the country is prepared for both diplomacy and an armed response if circumstances demand it that scenario could present itself again," stated the Venezuelan leader recalling the fight against fascism from 80 years ago as an example of what he considers a global effort for justice we will advance through peaceful means; but if it's through force Maduro's statements come in a context of increasing international rejection of his government especially after his self-proclamation as president following elections that were widely questioned due to irregularities and allegations of fraud Both the Venezuelan opposition and several foreign governments have rejected the results of the electoral process The speech has been met with skepticism and criticism The opposition described the statements as "disconnected from reality" and accused Maduro of using bellicose rhetoric to divert attention from the country's internal problems and migratory crisis after decades of dictatorial rule International experts have noted that Maduro's claims about the "liberation" of Puerto Rico and his willingness to use force are more symbolic than practical aiming to reinforce his narrative of confrontation against what he calls "American imperialism." Nicolás Maduro suggested that he would use troops from Brazil to "liberate" Puerto Rico from what he calls the "colonization" by the United States These statements were seen as a provocation towards the U.S government and were made during the closing of the International Anti-Fascist World Festival The international community has largely rejected the electoral process in Venezuela labeling it as fraudulent and questioning its legitimacy Several countries and organizations have disregarded Maduro's reelection and have called for a democratic transition while the internal opposition has also denounced irregularities Venezuela maintains a strong alliance with Cuba and Nicaragua asserting that they are prepared to "take up arms" if necessary to defend their sovereignty Maduro emphasizes that these countries are ready to confront any threat that compromises their right to peace The Maduro regime has been criticized by the international community due to fraudulent elections The internal and external opposition accuse him of using belligerent rhetoric to divert attention from the economic and humanitarian problems facing the country A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis Petrobras has commenced the operation of the SNOX unit at the Abreu e Lima refinery (RNEST) in Ipojuca marking the first emissions reduction unit of its kind in both Brazil and the Americas The SNOX unit is designed to transform sulfur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions into sulfuric acid This acid is used for various applications including the treatment and generation of drinking water The implementation of the SNOX unit enables RNEST to increase its processing capacity by 27,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) raising the total from 88,000 bbl/d to 115,000 bbl/d all while adhering to local environmental regulations which will be utilized within the refinery reducing the consumption of gas for energy production and enhancing overall energy efficiency Petrobras is preparing to commence Revamp works of Train 1 which will further boost the refinery’s capacity by 15,000 bbl/d and enhance the processing of pre-salt oil Petrobras will also begin the procurement process to complete the works of Train 2 which will add 130,000 bbl/d to RNEST’s capacity RNEST has the highest conversion rate of crude oil to diesel (70%) With the completion of the RNEST scope (SNOX the refinery will have the capacity to process 260,000 bbl/d of oil with an increase in national S-10 diesel production of approximately 13 million liters per day Doaa is a staff writer with a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communication majoring Journalism from Ahram Canadian University She has 2-3 years of experience in copywriting Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region news and interviews about your industry in English Petroleo Brasileiro SA- Petrobras ( (PBR) ) has issued an update Petrobras announced the completion of modernization work on Train 1 of the Abreu e Lima Refinery (RNEST) in Ipojuca which involved an investment of approximately R$ 93 million increases the refinery’s processing capacity from 115,000 to 130,000 barrels per day The expansion aims to enhance the flow of light products and improve the processing capacity for pre-salt oil known for its high conversion rate of crude oil into diesel will eventually process 260,000 barrels per day with the completion of Train 2 The refinery also began operating a SNOX unit in December 2024 reducing emissions and producing sulfuric acid contributing to environmental preservation More about Petroleo Brasileiro SA- Petrobras – Petrobras is a Brazilian petroleum corporation engaged in the oil and gas industry The company primarily focuses on the exploration and distribution of oil and its derivatives with a significant emphasis on the Brazilian market For detailed information about PBR stock, go to TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Petroleo Brasileiro SA- Petrobras ( (PBR) ) has issued an update Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) is moving forward with installation of solar photovoltaic plants at three of its Brazilian refineries as part of the company’s ongoing program to achieve net-zero emissions across its operations by 2050 The Petrobras Decarbonization Fund (PDF) will fund implementation of the photovoltaic plants at the 157,000-b/d Refinaria Gabriel Passos (REGAP) refinery in Betim Minas Gerais; 88,000-b/d Refinaria Abreu e Lima (RNEST) refinery in Ipojuca Pernambuco; and 434,000-b/d Refinaria de Paulínia (REPLAN) refinery in Paulínia Estimated total capacity of the three renewable energy plants will be about 48 Mw These most recently announced decarbonization opportunities are part of a portfolio of 33 total projects currently financed by the PDF that have capacity to reduce emissions by 1.52 million tonnes/year of CO2 equivalent to the operational emissions of an entire refinery “The installation of photovoltaic plants integrated into the refinery generation system allows for improved integration and operational reliability in line with the company’s strategic planning for a fair energy transition,” said William França da Silva Petrobras’ director of industrial processes and products Created to support initiatives aimed at decarbonizing Petrobras’ operations in exploration and production the PDF a has a current budget availability of $1 billion for 2024-28 period Petróleo Brasileiro SA has officially started the nonbinding phase in its program to sell three of its Brazilian refineries and associated logistics assets the sales of which were previously delayed to accommodate revisions to divestment plans for each of the sites Petrobras began notifying potential buyers that they have been approved to participate and submit nonbinding proposals in the sale process for the refineries and related assets including the 130,000-b/d Refinaria Abreu e Lima (RNEST) refinery; 208,000-b/d Refinaria Presidente Getulio Vargas (REPAR) refinery; and 208,000-b/d Refinaria Alberto Pasqualini (REFAP) refinery A definitive timeframe for the nonbinding phases for the proposed sales in northeast Brazil and representing 5% of the country’s total refining capacity the RNEST refinery —which has the potential to double its capacity to 260,000 b/d with startup of a second 130,000-b/d processing train—includes a terminal with crude and product storage capacities of 4.706 million bbl and 5.496 bbl in southern Brazil and representing 9% of the country’s total refining capacity the REPAR refinery—which caters mainly to the local markets of Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul—includes five terminals equipped to store 3.472 bbl of crude and 6.034 bbl of finished products Logistics infrastructure assets involved in the sale also will include a 476-km pipeline network in southern Brazil and representing 9% of the country’s total refining capacity the REFAP refinery—which caters mainly to the local markets of Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná—includes two terminals with crude and product storage capacities of 3.652 million bbl and 5.820 million bbl as well as a set of pipelines totaling 260 km The competitive sale process remains under way and negotiations ongoing in the binding phase for the operator’s divestment of its 166,000-b/d Refinaria Gabriel Passos (REGAP) refinery—including a set of pipelines of more than 720 km—in Betim Despite its divestment program to shed nearly 50% (1.1 million b/d) of Brazil’s national refining capacity Petrobras—as part of its portfolio management strategy and improved allocation of its capital—said it will continue to concentrate investments on assets with lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that have proved more competitive over the years The investments come as part of the planned $6.1 billion Petrobras intends to spend on its refining business under the company’s 2022-26 strategic plan as well as its previously announced RefTOP program which aims to prepare the operator’s remaining refining assets both for an open more competitive market in the country and the transition to a low-carbon economy Alongside expanding existing refining capacity refining-related investments will focus on initiatives to increase efficiency and operational performance of Brazilian refineries not involved in operator’s divestment portfolio Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has completed divestment of its 46,000-b/d Isaac Sabbá refinery (REMAN)—including a storage terminal—in Manaus, Amazonas, to Atem's Distribuidora de Petróleo SA (Atem) subsidiary Ream Participações SA (OGJ Online, Aug. 26, 2021) Ream Participações finalized its acquisition of the refinery and related logistics assets on Nov 30 with a payment to Petrobras of $ 228.8 million which is in addition to $28.4 million the new owner previously paid as a security deposit upon signing of the purchase and sale agreement in August 2021 While a final adjustment to the overall $257.2-million transaction price remains to be determined in the coming months Petrobras confirmed it has started work under a previously negotiated service agreement to offer ongoing support to Ream Participações for a period of up to 15 months to help avoid any operational interruptions at the refinery The downstream divestments additionally support the operator’s portfolio management strategy and improved allocation of its capital the RNEST refinery —which has the potential to double its capacity to 260,000 b/d with startup of a second 130,000-b/d processing train—includes a terminal with crude and product storage capacities of 4.706 million bbl and 5.496 bbl Portugal won 32 Awards at this year's NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition confirming the strong position of the country's producers on the international stage The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition show­cased the diver­sity of Portuguese olive oils with pro­duc­ers from var­i­ous regions win­ning awards which was held remotely due to the pan­demic high­lighted the qual­ity and suc­cess of Portuguese olive oil pro­duc­ers with a total of 32 awards given out to Portuguese entries “It was awe­some to enter the web and see that our oil was there,” said Ines Sampaio, man­ager of the Cooperativa Agricola dos Olivicultores de Murça ​“It was the first year that we par­tic­i­pated and it was incred­i­ble.” “The NYIOOC is the best and most well-known olive oil qual­ity com­pe­ti­tion out there,” she added ​“The best olive oils in the world are there and Azeite Porca de Murça took one of the 17 Gold Awards won by Portuguese olive oil pro­duc­ers and a total of 32 awards out of 52 entries a slightly lower num­ber than last year when 67 Portuguese oils com­peted in New York Registration was halted in March due to the coro­n­avirus pan­demic In this edi­tion, the NYIOOC’s panel of experts judged the 871 entries remotely, a new sys­tem adjusted to the unex­pected travel restric­tions imposed in response to Covid-19 as the pro­duc­ers con­tacted by Olive Oil Times high­lighted the awards become more rel­e­vant than ever under the cur­rent cir­cum­stances “I think this is even more impor­tant under the present sit­u­a­tion,” Sampaio told Olive Oil Times ​“People are not allowed to travel and even going to a shop has been dif­fi­cult so con­sumers go to the inter­net and search for ref­er­ences This award is impor­tant for that as well.” Murça’s coop­er­a­tive has a dif­fer­ent approach to pro­duc­tion than pri­vate com­pa­nies do that makes things more com­plex as we can­not con­trol every­thing,” Sampaio said our equip­ment and the way we grow our trees try­ing to make it more nat­ural every year in order to get the best juice from our olives because at the end of the day that is what our oil is.” Aníbal Soares is the owner of Segredos do Côa, a small pro­ducer in the Douro Valley region “I was born in an olive field,” Soares told Olive Oil Times ​“We are a local fam­ily from the moun­tains in the north and our olive oil tra­di­tion dates back at least to the mid-nine­teenth cen­tury.” His organic blend of Verdeal, Madural and Negrinha de Freixo cul­ti­vars won a Gold Award in 2020 and two pre­vi­ous ones in 2018 and 2019 we sent just one olive oil to mark our pres­ence We picked the best green olives by mid-October to make the best oil,” Soares said ​“But this year was not a very good one as it rained a lot when we har­vested.” but this year was a very good sur­prise,” he added the NYIOOC is a very well orga­nized com­pe­ti­tion and pays atten­tion to it,” Soares said but most of them don’t do any­thing to pro­mote it That may be good for our ego as pro­duc­ers but does noth­ing else Cabeço das Nogueiras is a pro­ducer based in the Ribatejo a region in the cen­ter of the coun­try Their Hojiblanca oil won a Gold Award at the NYIOOC as did their Cobrançosa mono­va­ri­etal which had already taken a Gold Award in 2019 and 2018 “It is always good to see our work being rec­og­nized in such a pos­i­tive way,” Alberto Serralha, CEO of Sociedade Agrícola Ouro Vegetal (SAOV) ​“It helps the sales team to assure our cus­tomers that they are really buy­ing high-qual­ity olive oil from us.” “The NYIOOC is a renowned com­pe­ti­tion able to spread infor­ma­tion in an effec­tive way across the globe rep­re­sents nearly two per­cent of Portugal’s total pro­duc­tion “Exports rep­re­sent 60 per­cent of our sales,” he said is our biggest for­eign mar­ket and rep­re­sents more than half of our total inter­na­tional sales.” Portugal’s olive oil exports have more than tripled in the last 10 years grow­ing from 51,774 tons in 2010 to 158,688 in 2019 The Iberian coun­try is cur­rently the world’s ninth-largest pro­ducer of olive oil and its pres­ence at the inter­na­tional qual­ity olive oil scene is well estab­lished “At a national level, qual­ity is increas­ing year after year,” Sampaio said. ​“Also quan­tity, but that’s mostly thanks to the large plan­ta­tions in Alentejo it is not easy to increase the amount of our pro­duc­tion so we are focus­ing on improv­ing our qual­ity.” but a very diverse one,” she con­cluded Magna Olea won a Silver Award for a medium-inten­sity blend ​“We feel that we’re con­sis­tently pro­duc­ing excel­lence reward­ing the trust of all our cus­tomers and part­ners,” owner Jerónimo Abreu e Lima said after receiv­ing news of his award Abreu e Lima said every year comes with a new set of chal­lenges for small pro­duc­ers each har­vest is the most chal­leng­ing moment of the year,” he said ​“2019 was another year of unusual weather that has con­di­tioned the pro­duc­tion Bare Foods LLC won a Gold Award for its Bare Superior brand “It is a recog­ni­tion that we are going in the right direc­tion and gives us and our con­sumers the assur­ance that our olive oils are of ​‘Superior’ qual­ity,” owner Rui Abecassis said about the award ​“It also shows that Portugal can pro­duce extra­or­di­nary olive oils.” More articles on:  , , Germany's Consumer Watchdog Warns Olive Oil Quality Is Falling The warning comes after 17 of 19 samples of labeled extra virgin olive oil were found to be marginal S. Hemisphere Producers Reap Rewards of Challenging Harvest millers and bottlers from three continents combined to win 44 awards at the Southern Hemisphere edition of 2024 World Olive Oil Competition Rome's Olive Oil Production on Public Farm Supports Community, Sustainability The city's organic production provides community support through donations and funds to maintain a public farm in Lazio Native Varieties and Centenarian Trees: The Winning Formula for Olivian Groves the Peloponnese producer achieved award-winning quality by relying on traditional and modern practices Olives with Higher Phenol Content More Resistant to Anthracnose Researchers found that olive varieties that maintained high concentrations of certain phenolic compounds during ripening were less likely to develop anthracnose Award-Winning Catalan Producer Bets on Growing Demand for Arbequina Two heat-hampered harvests have not deterred the producers behind Gaudea who are betting that demand for Arbequina extra virgin olive oil will keep growing University of California Releases Manual on Growing Olives for Oil Production The Olive Production Manual for Oil covers olive farming with chapters written by experts in each field IUCN Studies the Tradeoffs Between Intensive and Traditional Olive Groves The organization found that traditional groves are better for biodiversity but less profitable Intensive groves are more cost-efficient but create massive monocultures Oil and Gas Journal's semiannual Worldwide Construction Update shows an increase in petrochemical construction activity compared with the previous edition of the update (OGJ Following are details from the latest survey which is available on OGJ Online (see box) Petroleo Brasileiro SA commissioned the first of two 75,000-b/d delayed coking units at its Abreu e Lima refinery (Rnest) at the port of Suape completed commissioning of all processing equipment to be included in Rnest's first 115,000-b/d phase The company also began start-up activities on a diesel hydrotreater as part of the commissioning process for the refinery's second 115,000-b/d production train which is due to come on line later this year (OGJ Online (MRPL) completed its modernization project designed to increase the capacity and flexibility of crude oil processing at the plant (OGJ Online MRPL wrapped the long-delayed Phase 3 expansion and upgrading project in late 2014 after it completed start-up of the third train of a three-train sulfur recovery unit and other related offsite facilities (OGJ Online which boosted the refinery's crude processing capacity to 15 million tonnes/year (tpy) • A 2.2 million-tpy fluidized catalytic cracking unit (OGJ Online • A 650,000-tpy coker heavy gas oil hydrotreating unit (OGJ Online • A 3 million-tpy delayed coking unit (OGJ Online Petroleos Mexicanos let a $1.3-billion contract to Fluor Corp unit ICA Fluor's industrial engineering-construction joint venture with Empresas ICA SAB de CV to build a delayed coker at the Miguel Hidalgo Refinery in Tula ICA Flour will provide detailed engineering which will have a processing capacity of 86,000 b/d Mechanical completion of the project is scheduled for second-quarter 2018 Williams Partners LP commissioned and started production of ethylene from its newly rebuilt and expanded Geismar olefins plant following a series of setbacks occurring in the wake of a June 2013 explosion at the site (OGJ Online Prior to the 600 million-lb/year expansion project the Geismar plant had an ethylene production capacity of 1.35 billion lb/year completed upgrades to improve efficiency and boost production volumes at its Shell Deutschland Oil GMBH-operated petrochemicals plant at Wesseling The revamp involved modifications to furnaces and pipes at the complex's 2A naphtha steam cracker The project also has enabled the upgraded 2A steam cracker to increase production of ethylene ZapSibNeftekhim LLC started construction on its long-planned integrated ethylene and polypropylene production complex at Tobolsk in western Siberia's Tyumen region (OGJ Online The ZapSibNeftekhim (ZapSib-2) complex will include a 1.5 million-tonne/year ethylene steam cracker four polyethylene production units with a production capacity of 1.5 million tpy a 500,000-tpy polypropylene production unit and a 100,000-tpy butane-butylene fractionation unit ZapSib-2 was scheduled to be commissioned in 2019-20 A joint venture of Yara International ASA and BASF Group agreed to build a world-scale ammonia plant in Freeport that will require expansion of hydrogen-production capacity by supplier Praxair Inc The 750,000-tpy ammonia plant will be built at BASF's complex in Freeport for a total capital investment estimated at $600 million will build an ammonia tank at the BASF terminal increasing its total investment to $490 million The plant will use the ammonia synthesis process of KBR Inc. Praxair produces hydrogen via steam reforming of methane and can augment supply with byproduct hydrogen captured at crackers It expects its pipeline expansions to be in operation in 2016 and deliveries to the ammonia plant to begin late in 2017 a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corp. for work related to the expansion of a butadiene plant at its 5.15 million-tpy petrochemical complex in Al Jubail KBR will provide front-end engineering design for the debottlenecking and expansion of the butadiene extraction plant The Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia has approved plans for expansion of the Gorgon-Jansz LNG project on Barrow Island into a fourth train (OGJ Online The expansion will see the Chevron Corp.-led group push the foundation production of 15 million tpy of LNG up to a total of 20 million tpy The expansion project includes construction of a feed gas pipeline system along either the Northern Pipeline Route Option or the Southern Pipeline Route Option plus the addition of a fourth LNG train on Barrow along with associated systems within the existing plant Williams Partners LP and Crestwood Midstream Partners LP commissioned the Bucking Horse gas processing facility in Converse County adding 120 MMcfd of processing capacity in the Powder River basin's Niobrara shale play along with the Jackalope Gas Gathering System is owned through a 50-50 joint venture of Williams Partners and Crestwood Midstream Partners Targa Resources Partners LP will buy and install a 300-MMcfd cryogenic gas processing plant a header pipeline originating at the plant into the southern portion of the Delaware basin and related gathering and compression (OGJ Online west of Targa's existing Sand Hills gas processing plant to provide additional services to producers on the western side of the Permian basin The processing plant is to be operational at the end of first-quarter 2016 Targa also approved the purchase of a 200-MMcfd cryogenic plant to be built in McKenzie County The additional Badlands plant is to be operating as early as yearend 2015 OMV Tunisie Production GMBH let a $216-million contract to ABB for a gas plant associated with development of Nawara gas field in southern Tunisia (OGJ Online With design capacity of 2.7 million standard cu m/day the plant is to start production by October 2016 The turnkey contract covers delivery of the plant including gas separation and LPG extraction units ABB will work with Thermo Design Engineering Ltd. The OMV unit is developing Nawara field in a 50-50 venture with ETAP will delay the final investment decision on a large-scale gas-to-liquids plant in Louisiana as part of the company's plan to conserve cash in response to lower international oil prices (OGJ Online The timing of the decision will take into consideration progress made with the execution of Sasol's ethane cracker and derivatives complex in Westlake and other strategic investment opportunities The company in late 2013 chose Technip as the primary contractor for the front-end engineering and design phase of the facility (OGJ Online Sasol is proceeding with construction of its ethane cracker and derivatives complex for which a $4-billion credit facility was secured in December (OGJ Online given "robust project economics," the facility is the first step in developing the site near Lake Charles into an integrated hub The company also will continue to advance its investments in various gas and chemicals projects in southern Africa Foster Wheeler is working on a 250-tonne/day sulfur unit for Petroleos de Venezuela SA Magellan Midstream Partners and Plains All American Pipeline LP reported that a wholly owned subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum Corp has exercised its option to purchase a 20% equity interest in Saddlehorn Pipeline Co Saddlehorn's equity ownership would be Magellan 40% which will transport as much as 400,000 b/d of various grades of crude oil from the D-J basin-and potentially the broader Rocky Mountain area resource plays-to storage facilities in Cushing The initial capacity of the Saddlehorn system is expected to be closer to 200,000 b/d The project is currently estimated to cost $800-850 million Magellan will serve as construction manager and pipeline operator of the system which subject to receipt of necessary permits and regulatory approvals Knight Warrior LLC has reached agreements to build its 160-mile 100,000-b/d pipeline linking the East Texas Eaglebine-Woodbine crude oil play to Houston refining and export markets Knight Warrior awarded Hatch Mott MacDonald LLC the project's engineering and design contract (OGJ Online OD Knight Warrior East Texas project will start in Madison County Initial loading stations will be near North Zulch to accommodate anticipated production growth The pipeline will be expandable to 200,000 b/d and be able to segregate and batch its crude shipments The company expects the pipeline to begin operations second-quarter 2016 Knight Warrior East Texas will cost roughly $300 million Knight Warrior LLC is owned by Blueknight Energy Partners LP which also owns 50% of its general partner It was initially targeting March 2016 completion (OGJ Online Enterprise Products Partners LP will expand its Panola Pipeline Co having received sufficient shipper interest to do so (OGJ Online where it delivers to multiple destinations EPP plans to install 60 miles of pipeline as part of the expansion as well as pumps and other related equipment designed to increase capacity by 50,000 b/d The company expects the incremental capacity serving Haynesville and Cotton Valley producers EPP also is building its 270-mile Aegis Pipeline header system to deliver ethane to US Gulf Coast petrochemical producers It expects the line to begin operations second-quarter 2016 Leena Koottungal is the Survey Editor/News Writer for Oil & Gas Journal made statements this weekend in which he proposed that the independence of Puerto Rico as a territory of the United States should be sought and to confront the “colonization agenda of the north.” The words of the Venezuelan president were spoken during the closing of the International Antifascist World Festival in the South American country where people attended carrying flags from different nations Maduro asked the people holding the flags of Puerto Rico and Cuba to come up on stage and then requested the song "De un pájaro las dos alas" by singer and composer Pablo Milanés to be played "Just as the North has a colonization plan we have a liberation plan that was bequeathed to us by Simón Bolívar The independence of Puerto Rico is still pending and we will achieve it with the forces of Brazil and Abreu e Lima leading the way The Abreu e Lima Battalion will be responsible for liberating Puerto Rico there were also individuals carrying the flag of Brazil which led the president to include the South American country in his proposal to free Puerto Rico The mention of José Inácio de Abreu e Lima is because he was a Brazilian general who fought alongside Simón Bolívar the president who assumed a new term also warned that if necessary and in case his government is threatened The president stated that "Venezuela is getting ready along with Cuba along with our older brothers in the world so if one day we have to take up arms to defend the right to peace and the historical rights of our homeland." The event brought together approximately 2,000 delegates from 125 nations and took place following the inauguration of the Venezuelan president after controversial elections and in a context of opposition protests due to the electoral results from the previous year The inauguration of Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela caused a range of mixed emotions among his detractors on Saturday They wondered why it was not possible to stop the self-proclaimed socialist leader despite the existence of convincing evidence indicating that he had lost the elections the previous year to Edmundo González Some mentioned that their mood after the events on Friday at the Legislative Palace in Caracas was similar to an emotional hangover and the Dominican Republic classified Maduro's inauguration on Saturday as an "illegitimate act," the result of "electoral fraud imposed through state terror" on Venezuelans They assured that their efforts will continue until achieving "a democratic transition" in Venezuela said in a message on social media on Friday that Maduro was guilty of a coup by not leaving office on January 10 She also stated that she was sure that the "freedom of the country is near" but did not mention the next steps the opposition could take to end Maduro's presidency Highlighting Maduro's increasing isolation and the European Union announced on Friday new sanctions against more than 20 Venezuelan officials accusing them of undermining democracy in the country Among those targeted were Supreme Court judges Maduro awarded the Bicentennial Order to those sanctioned by those countries on Saturday he also stated that "nobody in Venezuela wants a coup nobody wants military intervention," in response to the previous request made by former Colombian president who called for "international intervention" to remove the regime and hold "free elections" in that country The Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela reacted shortly before ensuring that there is an attempt to tarnish the “historic moment” of Maduro’s presidency until 2031 JUST IN: 🇻🇪 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he will invade Puerto Rico with Brazilian troops and liberate them from the United States. "The freedom of Puerto Rico is pending and we will achieve it with Brazilian troops." pic.twitter.com/CCFq2K1h5s In the letter, the high-ranking official from Puerto Rico described the statements made by the Venezuelan president as an intimidation to “national security and stability in the region.” “Yesterday, just a few days after carrying out an illegitimate swearing-in ceremony in a desperate attempt to maintain his power in Venezuela, socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro publicly suggested the possibility of invading Puerto Rico,” stated González Colón. The governor added that this “constitutes a direct threat to the United States, our national security, and regional stability. I trust that your incoming administration will act quickly and make it clear to the Maduro regime that, under your leadership, the United States will defend the lives and sovereignty of its citizens and will not yield to the threats of cruel and murderous dictators." Similarly, in the letter, González Colón expressed to the president her desire to discuss Puerto Rico’s role in the national security of the United States and the “adversaries” present in the region. “The governor of Puerto Rico expressed her willingness to collaborate with you and your team in the fight against this and other threats coming from the illegitimate dictatorial regime of Nicolás Maduro, as well as in supporting the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom. Additionally, she expressed her interest in discussing ways to strengthen Puerto Rico’s contribution to national security and take a firm stance against the activities of adversaries in the region,” concluded. During the weekend, the presidential leader of Venezuela made some statements in which he proposed that it is necessary to seek the independence of Puerto Rico as a territory of the United States and confront the “colonization agenda of the North.” The Venezuelan president spoke during the closing of the International Antifascist World Festival, held in the Latin American country. At the event, there were people carrying flags from different nations, including Puerto Rico’s. Maduro called to the stage those who were holding the flags of Puerto Rico and Cuba. Then, he requested that they perform the song “De un pájaro las dos alas” by the composer Pablo Milanés. The president of Venezuela stated: “Just as in the North they have a colonization agenda, we have a liberation agenda and it was written for us by Simón Bolivar. The freedom of Puerto Rico is pending and we will achieve it, with the troops from Brazil and Abreu e Lima leading the way. Abreu e Lima battalion to liberate Puerto Rico. What do you think?” Among the attendees were individuals carrying the flag of Brazil, which led the president to include the South American country in his proposals to free Puerto Rico. During the same event, the president, who assumed a new term, warned that he will resort to the use of weapons if necessary and if his government is in danger. “Venezuela is getting ready alongside Cuba, alongside Nicaragua, and alongside our older brothers in the world, so that in case we ever need to use weapons to protect the right to peace, the right to sovereignty, and the historical rights of our nation,” declared the president. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Metro World News (@metroworldnews)