Recope increases its gas storage capacity and saves $17 million for Costa Rica

Machine translation was used for the following Recope release.

On its 61st anniversary, Recope inaugurated a gas sphere at its terminal in Moín, Limón, this Friday, June 27. This project marks a significant advance, since it allowed us to increase gas storage capacity and generate considerable savings for the country.

The sphere, built in 1991, was updated to meet the latest safety and environmental protection standards while increasing gas storage capacity by 25,000 barrels, representing a 19% increase in total capacity. storage of that product. This is going from 18 days of gas inventory to 21 days.

The consumption of this product has been increasing in recent years. While in 2020 Recope sold 2 million barrels of gas, in 2023 2.7 million barrels of gas were sold, reflecting an increase of 32.6%.

Aware of this increase in gas demand, Recope has been taking all the necessary provisions.

“ A couple of weeks ago we announced the increase in capacity in the six spheres that we already had and, with a small change, we managed to increase storage between 7,000 and 8,000 barrels of gas. Now, with this sphere that we inaugurated today there are 25,000 more barrels. That is, in less than a month, the gas storage capacity increased by 33,000 barrels at the Moín terminal ,” explained Karla Montero, president of Recope.

All of these works have been developed by Recope personnel in two years, which is extremely important because it reduces costs. Furthermore, building the completely new sphere would have required four years.

The dial upgrade cost just over $2 million, compared to the $19 million it would have cost to build a new dial, saving Costa Rica $17 million.

It is important to highlight that the sphere is part of one of the projects of the National Fuel System Rescue Plan that this administration has been implementing, to optimize the infrastructure that the country currently has.

Work carried out in the sphere

Alexánder Davis, manager of Technical Services and Innovation at Recope, explained that the work that was done on the sphere was:

• Demolition of facilities out of service.
• Construction and repair of dams and legs.
• Complete painting.
• Construction of accesses.
• Installation of piping systems, control, security, fire protection and electrical system.
• Replacement of measuring instruments.
• Adaptation to the sales system and process.
• Container calibration and certification.
• Testing and commissioning.

“ Recope reaffirms its commitment to the modernization and continuous improvement of its infrastructure, in order to ensure a reliable supply of energy for Costa Rica ,” stated Davis.

In 61 years of uninterrupted fuel supply, Recope continues to strengthen the country's energy security, now expanding gas storage capacity.