Pacific Rubiales makes additional investment in Puerto Bahia Port Project

TORONTO, Aug. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. (TSX: PRE; BVC: PREC; BOVESPA: PREB) is pleased to announce that it has purchased an additional 50 million common shares in the capital of Pacific Infrastructure Inc. ("Pacific Infrastructure") at a price of U.S.$1.00 per share for an aggregate investment of U.S.$50 million (the "Subscription"). This latest investment by the Company in Pacific Infrastructure has been made in connection with a letter of intent dated March 26, 2012 pursuant to which the Company agreed to purchase up to 140 million common shares in the capital of Pacific Infrastructure, as previously announced by the Company on March 28, 2012.

Pacific Infrastructure is a private Panama-based company developing a new crude oil and products terminal and port (Puerto Bahia) at Cartagena on the Colombia Caribbean coast, as well as a new oil pipeline that will link Coveñas with Cartagena.

Ronald Pantin, Chief Executive Officer of the Company commented: "This additional investment in the Puerto Bahia Port Project further solidifies the Company's role in the development of the project, ensures our foothold in what will be one of Colombia's most important infrastructure projects, and is strategic to our future oil production growth plans. We look forward to working with the Pacific Infrastructure team as we move forward in the development of the port."

As a result of funding the Subscription, the Company currently holds 111,488,415 common shares in the capital of Pacific Infrastructure, representing approximately 44.1% of the issued and outstanding shares.  The Company, in its sole discretion, has until March 27, 2013 to purchase an additional 70 million common shares in the capital of Pacific Infrastructure on substantially the same terms as this Subscription. To date, the Company has invested approximately U.S.$88 million in Pacific Infrastructure.

Pacific Rubiales, a Canadian-based company and producer of natural gas and heavy crude oil, owns 100 percent of Meta Petroleum Corp., a Colombian oil operator which operates the Rubiales, Piriri and Quifa oil fields in the Llanos Basin in association with Ecopetrol, S.A., the Colombian national oil company, and 100 percent of Pacific Stratus Energy Corp. which operates the La Creciente natural gas field. The Company is focused on identifying opportunities primarily within the eastern Llanos Basin of Colombia as well as in other areas in Colombia and northern Peru. Pacific Rubiales has working interests in 43 blocks in Colombia, Peru and Guatemala.

The Company's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and La Bolsa de Valores de Colombia and as Brazilian Depositary Receipts on Brazil's Bolsa de Valores Mercadorias e Futuros under the ticker symbols PRE, PREC, and PREB, respectively.

Advisories

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding estimates and/or assumptions in respect of production, revenue, cash flow and costs, reserve and resource estimates, potential resources and reserves and the Company's exploration and development plans and objectives) are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: the closing of the proposed transaction or the possibility that such transaction may not close, delays in completing the proposed transaction, uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, production estimates and estimated economic return; the possibility that actual circumstances will differ from the estimates and assumptions; failure to establish estimated resources or reserves; fluctuations in petroleum prices and currency exchange rates; inflation; changes in equity markets; political developments in Colombia, Guatemala or Peru; changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological data; and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's annual information form dated March 14, 2012 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

SOURCE Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp.