Recope Pipeline

[español]

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Sub-articles:

FrackSwarm portal Coal terminals Coal transport and infrastructure Oil and gas pipelines LNG terminals Pipeline construction costs Methodology and data notes

Recope Pipeline, known locally as Poliducto Recope, is an oil products pipeline in Costa Rica. The pipeline transports gasoline (Super and Plus 91), diesel and jet fuel.

Location

The pipeline runs from the port of Moín on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast to Recope's Barranca facility near the Pacific coast, passing through intermediate Recope stations at Siquirres, Turrialba, El Alto and La Garita, Costa Rica.

Loading map...

{"type":"ROADMAP","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","width":"400px","height":"300px","centre":{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":9.982079,"lon":-83.91,"icon":""},"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","strokeColor":"#FF0000","strokeOpacity":"1","strokeWeight":"2","pos":[{"lat":10.02313,"lon":-83.0545},{"lat":10.01527,"lon":-83.1072},{"lat":10.02313,"lon":-83.1519},{"lat":10.03885,"lon":-83.2125},{"lat":10.05457,"lon":-83.2588},{"lat":10.06557,"lon":-83.2939},{"lat":10.06557,"lon":-83.3323},{"lat":10.09386,"lon":-83.3514},{"lat":10.1143,"lon":-83.3929},{"lat":10.12058,"lon":-83.4376},{"lat":10.10801,"lon":-83.4775},{"lat":10.07815,"lon":-83.5206},{"lat":10.053,"lon":-83.5414},{"lat":10.0247,"lon":-83.5558},{"lat":10.00898,"lon":-83.5813},{"lat":9.990115,"lon":-83.5925},{"lat":9.985399,"lon":-83.6116},{"lat":9.955525,"lon":-83.626},{"lat":9.938229,"lon":-83.642},{"lat":9.931939,"lon":-83.6755},{"lat":9.935084,"lon":-83.7106},{"lat":9.935084,"lon":-83.7633},{"lat":9.916214,"lon":-83.792},{"lat":9.89577,"lon":-83.8495},{"lat":9.892624,"lon":-83.891},{"lat":9.90206,"lon":-83.9229},{"lat":9.925649,"lon":-83.9628},{"lat":9.955525,"lon":-83.982},{"lat":9.97911,"lon":-84.0123},{"lat":9.986971,"lon":-84.049},{"lat":9.99326,"lon":-84.1065},{"lat":10.01213,"lon":-84.1528},{"lat":10.00741,"lon":-84.1911},{"lat":10.00112,"lon":-84.2454},{"lat":10.00112,"lon":-84.2869},{"lat":9.983826,"lon":-84.3268},{"lat":9.957097,"lon":-84.3587},{"lat":9.930366,"lon":-84.4002},{"lat":9.922504,"lon":-84.4402},{"lat":9.931939,"lon":-84.4817},{"lat":9.947663,"lon":-84.52},{"lat":9.972821,"lon":-84.5599},{"lat":9.997976,"lon":-84.5934},{"lat":10.00898,"lon":-84.6237},{"lat":10.00741,"lon":-84.6732},{"lat":9.99326,"lon":-84.7195}]}],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"visitedicon":"","wmsoverlay":false,"zoom":7,"layers":[],"controls":["pan","zoom","type","scale","streetview","rotate"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"cluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[],"searchmarkers":"","fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"locations":[]}

Project Details

• Operator: Recope (Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo S.A.)
• Owner: Recope (Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo S.A.)
• Parent company: Government of Costa Rica
• Current capacity: 69,188 barrels per day (11 million liters per day)
• Length: 415 km
• Diameter: 150, 300 mm (6, 12 inches)
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 1999

Background

Costa Rica's state oil refinery Recope is owner of a 415-kilometer pipeline system stretching from the Caribbean port of Moín to Barranca on the Pacific coast. The system's main section is a 12-inch diameter, 176-kilometer multi-product pipeline that transports fuel from Limón to La Garita via El Alto.

Construction was funded by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Cabei) and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) with respective loans of US$60mn and US$30mn. Argentine construction company Techint was the only firm to submit a construction bid by the deadline.

Attacks on pipeline

In September 2017 the pipeline was perforated in three places in what Recope President Alejandro Muñoz called an act of sabotage. Attacks by oil theft gangs have become more numerous in recent years, affecting multiple points along the Recope pipeline. Reported cases jumped from three in 2016 to 47 in 2017 to 200 in 2018. As of October 2019, Recope officials had already recorded 279 oil thefts year to date.