Message from the President Throughout its history RECOPE has served Costa Ricans in the activities of refinery, importation and distribution in bulk of the fuels required by the country, representing 70% of the commercial energy needed to promote national development. In time, as the country demand increases, the Company has been expanding its infrastructure to consolidate the National System of Fuels that continues to grow and modernize to ensure the supply to all the Costa Rican territory. The new 12-inch poliduct is under operation and will permit RECOPE to respond to the demand projected up until 2025. Likewise, seven storage tanks are under construction to increase the capacity installed of 3.4 million barrels to 4 millions. We are also undergoing negotiations with the Government of China to find a mode of cooperation to increase the refinery capacity we currently have, from 25 thousand barrels a day to 60 a day; this will allow the Company to cover 100% of the national demand estimated at 40 thousand barrels a day. In Limon we are getting ready to build the new oil dock of Moin, and started drainage of the current post. We are also working on the expansion of the system of storage of liquefied petroleum gas and other important projects of development of the facilities of a distillation plant with an average capacity of 18 thousand barrels a day. This adds up to the operations of sale of Jet A-1 fuel at the International Airport of Limon conducted since January 21, 2008. This airport displays a natural beauty not all terminals enjoy, so we are convinced this will become a key element to promote the development of this province. For the company to work in optimum conditions it requires commitment, effort, technical knowledge and good human relations. Furthermore, to maintain an uninterrupted supply of fuel, we must assure the maintenance, logistics, quality control and all the links that integrate the service chain that increase the value of our final product. Today, RECOPE has a labor force highly qualified in different disciplines such as international trade, information technology, geology, economy and even forrestal engineering and biology. Given the transformation of our activity, we have a high percentage of employees with a technical-operating knowledge. In Limon only, specifically in the Refinery, out of 367 employees there are 284 working as technicians, operators and others, while the remaining 11% corresponds to professionals from other disciplines. RECOPE is a company with experienced people, whose expertise and specialization turns them into very valuable resources. About 30% of the personnel are female, which indicates the growing tendency of women entering into this specialized field and disciplines that were considered male only in the past. We know that the situation of hydrocarbons worldwide is changing rapidly, and that is why the administration took on the task to review the vision, mission and objectives, to devise a new path and reinforce the foundation of the company we want to build and that the country needs. The new vision aims at national and regional leadership. Being a leader means competition, so we are not limited to the boundaries of the national territory; instead, we want to go beyond our frontiers, expand with new services and products, grow and generate more employment and take on new activities in the market of fuels and related products. To reach this goal we rely on three fundamental pillars: efficiency, quality and social and environmental responsibility. Under a new concept of services and related products we break the paradigm that our activity evolves around fossil fuels and we are looking for new sources of energy such as Biofuels. As part of the actions in favor of the environment, we have reduced the concentrations of sulfur in vehicle diesel to a maximum of 0.20 fraction of mass. RECOPE’s contribution to the national energetic development as well as to the zones of the country where it operates is invaluable. We look forward to continue providing a service of quality for the wellbeing of all. |