LATIN-AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL BRIEFS

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources.

Alternative Fuels

Brazil Ecodiesel to Inaugurate New Plant

Brazil Ecodiesel is performing final adjustments on a new biodiesel plant located in the Industrial District: Itaqui, in Sao Luis. The station is already receiving raw material for the production of biodiesel. It has around 9,300 cubic meters of vegetable oil prepared for the commercial operations start up.

Itaqui’s Station estimates biodiesel production of 120,000 cubic meters per year. The construction of the plant took six months at a cost of $11Million. It will be the sixth production station that will be operating in Brazil.

Industrial Manufacturing

Honda Invests $100 Million in Argentina

Honda Sudamerica, the Japanese automotive firm, will produce cars in Argentina by the end of 2009, and it will build a new factory in Campana, Buenos Aires, valued in $100 Millions. Kenzo Yoshino, the Japanese executive that manages the local subsidiary, explained that they are planning to produce a familiar car, but he didn’t confirm the model name.

This will be the first time in 12 years that an automotive firm builds a new factory in Argentina. The last time this occurred was in 1997, when the Japanese company Toyota inaugurated its plant in Zárate.

Petroleum Refining

Venezuela and Nicaragua Make an Oil Joint Venture

PDV Caribe, a branch of Petroleos de Venezuela and PETRONIC, a Nicaraguan state company, created the joint venture ALBA de Nicaragua S. A. (ALBANISA).

ALBANISA’s President Asdrubal Chavez alleged that Venezuela has a 55% share and Nicaragua a 45% share. The firm will supply fuel to Nicaragua, building a 150,000 barrels per day refinery there and amplifying the electric power distribution and storage of hydrocarbons. The project may cost around $5 billion and may be completed in 2012, including a year estimated for preliminary studies.

Production

Chilean NGL Quintero Signs $775 Million Contract with Chicago Bridge & Iron

The Chilean Company NGL Quintero S.A. (Santiago de Chile, Chile) signs a $775 Million contract with Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (Hoofddorp, Netherlands) to build a LNG regasification terminal in Chile’s central coast. The contract includes the EPC works for a regasification and transmission system, a quay and three NGL storage tanks. The terminal may start commercial operations 2Q09 and it will be located in Bahia Quintero, 68 miles northeast of Santiago de Chile.

The complete construction of the plant requires a $940 Millions investment, according to the Chilean National Company, ENAP, announcements.

View Project Report - 70000192

Transmission

Pemex Gas Pipeline Explosions Suspended Operations

In the first fortnight of July Pemex, Mexico’s state owned oil company based in Mexico City and third-largest oil supplier to the U.S., was hit by explosions on its gas pipeline in Guanajuato. Although there were no casualties reported and natural gas shipments and exports were not affected, service was suspended on the 36-inch pipeline that runs between Mexico City and Guadalajara, the industry-rich capital of the western state of Jalisco.

At least a dozen companies including Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., Vitro SAB, Kellogg Co., Hershey Co., and Grupo Modelo SA, Mexico's largest beer maker, were affected.

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