the extreme light infrastructure ( eli ) is a new research infrastructure ( ri ) of pan-european interest and part of the european esfri roadmap .

it is a laser facility that aims to host the most intense beamline system worldwide , develop new interdisciplinary research opportunities with light from these lasers and secondary radiation derived from them , and make them available to an international scientific user community .

it will be the world 's biggest and first international user facility in beamline and laser research .

the facility will be based on four sites .

three of them are presently being implemented in the czech republic , hungary and romania , with an investment volume exceeding € 850 million , mostly stemming from the european regional development fund ( erdf ) .

in dolní břežany , near prague , czech republic , the eli-beamlines facility will mainly focus on the development of short-pulse secondary sources of radiation and particles .

the eli attosecond light pulse source ( eli-alps ) in szeged , hungary is establishing a unique facility which provides light sources within an extremely broad frequency range in the form of ultrashort pulses with high repetition rate .

in măgurele , romania , the eli nuclear physics ( eli-np ) facility will focus on laser-based nuclear physics .

the location of eli 's fourth pillar , the highest-intensity pillar , is still to be decided .

its laser power is expected to exceed that of the current eli pillars by about one order of magnitude .

extreme light infrastructure

extreme light infrastructure <EOT> the extreme light infrastructure ( eli ) project is dedicated to the investigation of light–matter interactions at high laser intensities and on short timescales .

kansai photon science institute | ”osaka univ . to eli - np” eli - np：extreme light infrastructure - nuclear physics

the laser will be operational at the extreme light infrastructure – nuclear physics’ site , romania , in 2018 .

the extreme light infrastructure attosecond light pulse source ( eli - alps ) laser research centre is one of the pillars of this infrastructure was built in szeged and is one of the largest scientific investments in europe , with support from the european union amounting to over 70 billion huf .

”osaka univ . to eli - np” eli - np：extreme light infrastructure - nuclear physics kazuo a . tanaka , osaka univ . , osaka japan & eli - np , bucharest romania abstract .

gaining and maintaining a strong foothold in the european and global technology markets is high on the eu agenda . helping meet this goal is the eli ( ' extreme light infrastructure ' ) project , which clinched eur 6 million under . . .

known as " extreme light infrastructure - nuclear physics " ( eli - np ) , it will serve as a pan - european laboratory and host a broad range of scientific disciplines including fundamental physics , new nuclear physics and astrophysics but also life sciences .

as part of his state visit to romania , french president françois hollande accompanied the romanian head of state , klaus w . iohannis , on a visit of the extreme light infrastructure – nuclear physics’ site , where the world’s most powerful laser system will be installed .

the eli – extreme light infrastructure – or as it is commonly referred to : the superlaser will be one of the large research facilities of the european union . through this , the first structure in the world for studying the interaction between light and matter with ultrahigh intensity laser will be created with hungarian cooperation . the most significant centre for attosecond pulse light research will operate in szeged , the administrative centre for the county of csongrád .

a european esfri project for the investigation of light - matter interactions at highest intensities and shortest time scales .

eli is a new research infrastructure ( ri ) of pan - european interest and part of the european esfri roadmap .

listed on the esfri roadmap as one of the priority research infrastructure projects for europe , the extreme - light - infrastructure ( eli ) will bring a revolution to laser science by paving the way to new regimes of optics and physics by producing light intensities higher by 3 to 6 orders of magnitude than today’s levels . based on a new generation of laser technologies delivering ultra - short ultra - intense pulses , eli will open exciting research opportunities in a wide range of disciplines , from material sciences , biochemistry , medicine , nanotechnologies , to nuclear physics , astrophysics , and cosmology . resulting from a pan - european effort , eli will be the first international laser infrastructure fully dedicated to external users and will provide best conditions of access for world - class experiments .

this is a very interesting project . but eli ( extreme light infrastructure ) involves not just romania . there are 3 eu countries which will build giant superlaser facilities . eventually a fourth one should be build as well . the very first superlaser is to build near prague with a goal of achieving exawatt class , which would make it at least a hundred times more powerful then anything that exists today .

what is eli ? it stands for extreme light infrastructure , which is a new research infrastructure of pan - european interest . it is a laser project that aims to host the most intense beamline system in the world . the eli project will be located in four sites . one will be in dolní břežany , near prague . it will focus on the development of short - pulse secondary sources of radiation and particles . eli - alps ( attosecond light pulse source ) will be in szeged , which will be “a unique facility which provides light sources within an extremely broad frequency range in the form of ultrashort pulses with high repetition rate . ” in măgurele , romania , the eli - np ( nuclear physics ) facility will focus on laser - based nuclear physics . the fourth facility’s location is still undecided .

the european research infrastructure consortium ( eric ) is a legal framework created by the european commission to allow the operation of research infrastructures of pan - european interest .

in the field of science and technology , thales is supporting romania’s contribution to the european laser research project eli - np ( extreme light infrastructure - nuclear physics ) . the company is providing romania’s nuclear physics institute ( ifin - hh ) with an ultra high - power laser system delivering 2x10 petawatts ( 20 million billion watts ) of power . this is more powerful than any other laser system to date , including the petawatt systems previously installed by thales . a special technical and scientific training programme will also be provided through thales university .

the scientific and technological eli - np development activities are distributed in 5 research activities , each of them aiming to realization of a significant part of the new research infrastructure .

thales has made innovation a core strategic priority and believes that real innovation hinges on the ability to harness creativity to meet actual customer needs and develop disruptive technologies . based on this vision , the company is taking part in the extreme light infrastructure for nuclear physics ( eli - np ) project to develop the world’s most powerful laser system . this 2x10 petawatt laser will support research in nuclear physics and help advance human understanding of the physics of matter . it will be operational in 2018 . thales has operated in romania for 40 years and is now addressing the country’s transport needs while expanding its areas of focus to include defence , security , aerospace and science and technology .

" it is for the first time that structural funds will finance a basic research infrastructure project , " he added , stressing that the eu earmarked 150 million euros ( $ 199 . 9 million ) for it .

implemented as a distributed infrastructure in the czech republic , hungary and romania , eli will be the first infrastructure identified by the european strategy forum on research infrastructures ( esfri ) to be located in new member states . with an implementation budget of over €845 million largely co - financed by structural funds , the project represents an unprecedented example of how research infrastructures can bridge the objectives of scientific excellence , regional development and european cohesion .

this infrastructure will create a new european laboratory with a broad range of science covering frontier fundamental physics , new nuclear physics and astrophysics as well as applications in nuclear materials , radioactive waste management , material science and life sciences .

it is a laser facility that aims at hosting some the most intense lasers world - wide , develop new interdisciplinary research opportunities with light from these lasers and secondary radiation derived from them , and make them available to an international scientific user community .

in june ' s edition of physics world portugal ' s former science and technology minister , josé mariano gago , calls for more investment in , and engagement with , national science budgets in light of the european union ' s ( eu ) stagnated . . .

the eli attosecond light pulse source ( eli - alps ) in szeged , hungary is establishing a unique facility , which provides light sources between thz ( 10 12 hz ) and x - ray ( 10 18 - 10 19 hz ) frequency range in the form of ultrashort pulses with high repetition rate . eli - alps will be dedicated to extremely fast dynamics by taking snap - shots in the attosecond scale ( a billionth of a billionth of second ) of the electron dynamics in atoms , molecules , plasmas and solids . it will also pursue research with ultrahigh intensity lasers . urltoken

the eli project intends with a trans - european cooperation the construction of a research super - laser with ultra - short pulses , which has considerably higher power density than the largest laser currently in existence and is of extreme scientific importance . it is one of the significant large facilities included in the european strategic forum on research infrastructures ( esfri roadmap : urltoken ) .

one key milestone of this fast development was the decision of the 13 european funding agencies represented in the project on the location and conditions of implementation of eli . in october 2009 , the steering committee of the eli preparatory phase consortium gave the mandate to the czech republic , hungary and romania to implement eli as a distributed infrastructure consisting of three complementary facilities to be implemented by end 2015 respectively in dolní břežany ( south of prague ) , szeged ( hungary ) , and măgurele ( south - west of bucharest ) . the eli facilities plan to form a single research infrastructure operated under the legal umbrella of a european research infrastructure consortium ( eric ) . an interim structure , the eli delivery consortium , will be set up by the host countries to take over the preparatory phase consortium , to coordinate actions at the european level , and to organise negotiations with partner countries on the establishment of the eli - eric .

but canceling the undertaking in szeged would have endangered the eli enterprise in the czech republic and in romania as well . the decision in 2006 to place the eli facilities in former soviet - bloc countries which had joined the union only two years earlier was a sign of trust in these countries’ ability to create and run first - rate research facilities that were important for the european union as a whole . so , finally in december 2012—not in 2011 as orbán claims—the government came to the conclusion that forcing through their original plan and abandoning the project would cast hungary in a very bad light . it would prove that the former communist countries cannot , after all , be trusted with an important pan - european project of extreme scientific importance . so , they reluctantly gave their blessing .

the purpose of eli - alps is to establish a unique , laser - based european user research facility where ultrashort laser pulses and light sources will be accessible for international researchers . eli - alps’ lasers will able to generate the shortest and greatest number of laser pulses per second so far . this allows researchers to examine elementary intramolecular physical processes and also provides unparalleled infrastructure to carry out basic and applied research on an ultrafast timescale for outstanding research results in biology , medicine and material sciences . there is a cooperation agreement between eli - alps and the university resulting in the collaboration in the organisation of research projects and training programmes . the entire complex was opened in may 2017 and the facility will become fully operational in 2019 .

eli - dc coordinates the transition from the implementation to the operation phase , leading to the creation of a european research infrastructure consortium : eli - eric . eli - dc supports the three pillars during the implementation phase , ensures the character of eli as one unified pan - european project , conducts the negotiations towards the eli - eric and prepares the conditions for the establishment of eli’s fourth pillar , planned to push the frontiers of laser power by yet another order of magnitude into the sub - exawatt regime . the scientific profiles of the eli pillars will be complementary , and the operation of the research infrastructure , starting progressively from 2018 , will be unified under one single legal umbrella of the eli - eric .

the eli will be the first facility in the world to enable the investigation of the interaction between light and matter with the highest intensity , in the so called ultra - relativistic range . it will open a doorway into new territories within physics as well as establishing such new technical developments as relativistic microelectronics and small laser particle accelerators . the eli will have a considerable impact on numerous fields of material sciences , medicine and environment protection .

in magurele , romania , the eli nuclear physics ( eli - np ) facility focuses on laser - based nuclear physics . it will host two machines , a very high intensity laser , where beams from two 10 pw lasers are coherently added to get intensities of the order of 10 23 - 10 24 w / cm 2 , and a very intense , brilliant gamma beam , which is obtained by incoherent compton back scattering of a laser light off a brilliant electron beam from a conventional linear accelerator . applications include nuclear physics experiments to characterize laser – target interaction , photonuclear reactions , and exotic nuclear physics and astrophysics . urltoken

with the three site solution , the scientific programme of eli has widened . each research centre site is planned to be built with approximately 250 - 280 m€ investment costs . in each laser centre , probably approximately 200 - 300 local and foreign specialists will work . according to the plans the activities of the sites will be coordinated by the european research infrastructure consortium ( eric ) , an international consortium based on the new legal framework of the european union . the members shall include in addition to the three site - countries ( the czech republic , hungary and romania ) , member states with a strong background in laser technology ( primarily france , great - britain , germany ) . the consortium will be open to other eli - pp project partners , and later also to third countries .

european commission president jose manuel barroso ( r ) and eu commissioner for regional policy johannes hahn talk at the european parliament in strasbourg on january 15 , 2013 . the european union and romania laid friday the cornerstone of a research hub due to host the world ' s most powerful laser .

the european union and romania laid friday the cornerstone of a research hub due to host the world ' s most powerful laser .

" the project is of particular importance not only for romania and also for europe as a whole . , " european commissioner for regional policy johannes hahn told a press conference alongside romania ' s prime minister victor ponta .

" its cutting - edge technology will be used by researchers all over the world , " he added .

eli - np , the most important research project in the newer eu member states , will create jobs and " turn brain - drain into brain circulation " in the region , hahn stressed .

from 13 eu countries are involved in the programme which includes two other pillars , in the czech republic and hungary .

( physorg . com ) - - as part of the european union ' s commitment to remaining at the forefront of technology , the european commission ( the governing body of the european union ) has laid out plans for three initial high powered . . .

romania ' s centre - left government on tuesday adopted a decree cutting incentives for renewable energy , which experts say could drive investors away and put on hold a booming industry .

the frenzy to build hydropower stations across the carpathian mountains poses an " imminent " threat to biodiversity in eastern europe , conservationist group wwf warned monday .

an international team of experts are developing a revolutionary laser system by investigating the use of fibre lasers in ground - breaking particle accelerator technologies , such as the large hadron collider ( lhc ) , which is . . .

fluorescence - based biosensing and bioimaging technologies are widely used in research and clinical settings to detect and image various biological species of interest . while fluorescence - based detection and imaging techniques . . .

physicists have experimentally demonstrated 18 - qubit entanglement , which is the largest entangled state achieved so far with individual control of each qubit . as each qubit has two possible values , the 18 qubits can generate . . .

how do insects survive harsh northern winters ? unlike mammals , they don ' t have thick coats of fur to keep warm . but they do have antifreeze . antifreeze proteins ( afps ) prevent ice from forming and spreading inside their . . .

the struggle to keep drinks cold during the summer is a lesson in classical phase transitions . to study phase transitions , apply heat to a substance and watch how its properties change . add heat to water and at the so - called . . .

directly converting electrical power to heat is easy . it regularly happens in your toaster , that is , if you make toast regularly . the opposite , converting heat into electrical power , isn ' t so easy .

scientists at ucla , for the first time , experimentally realized a new compound single crystal , boron arsenide ( bas ) and explored its thermal conductivity limit when crystals are free of defects . they observed the highest . . .

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the facility will be based on four sites . three of them are presently being implemented in the czech republic , hungary and romania , with an investment volume exceeding 850 mio . euro , mostly stemming from the european regional development funds ( erdf ) .

after a 3 - year preparatory phase ( 2008 - 2010 ) of the eli project , the eli consortium was set up , and on 11 april 2013 became the eli delivery consortium international association ( eli - dc aisbl ) . the association was established in order to promote sustainable development of the project , establishing partnerships and collaborations with national , european and international structures and organizations .

the goal of the elitrans project is to complement the final implementation stage of eli - parallel to the completion of the three construction sites - by preparing and undertaking the back - transformation from three legally independent construction projects towards the governance , operation and financing under a single international legal entity , the eli - eric .

the unique l3 - hapls laser system , developed by the lawrence livermore national laboratory ( llnl ) for eli beamlines , was ceremonially launched on july 2 , 2018 .

information notice about the company ' s public procedures planned can be found on eli - alps’ website .

while the implementation of the eli projects is nearing completion in the three host countries , much effort is put into creating the necessary conditions for the future operation as a single , multi - site international laser user facility of european and global dimension .

read about proton acceleration at eli - alps , proton - boron nuclear fusion inside cancer cells at eli beamlines and the upcoming field of nuclear photonics at eli - np .

the coming months , several large conferences , workshops and meet - ups are organized by or with the aid of eli .

nuclear photonics 2018 aims to bring together leading scientists , researchers and research scholars from around the world .

the subject of the next training course organized in the framework of it - elli is optical thin film coatings .

in dolni brezany , near prague , czech republic , the eli - beamlines facility mainly will focus on the development of short - pulse secondary sources of radiation and particles , and on their multidisciplinary applications in molecular , biomedical and material sciences , physics of dense plasmas , warm dense matter , laboratory astrophysics . in addition , the pillar will uitilze its high - power , high - repetition - rate lasers for high - field physics experiments with focused intensities of about 10 23 w / cm 2 , investigating exotic plasma physics , and non - linear qed effects . urltoken

unikátní laserový systém l3 - hapls , který pro eli beamlines vyvinula americká národní laboratoř lawrence livermore national laboratory ( llnl ) , byl dnes 2 . července 2018 slavnostně spuštěn . na základě evaluce mezinárodní vědeckou kontrolní…

v česku jsou vědci , kteří jsou skutečně jedni z nejlepších na světě , říká carlos moedas . eurokomisař pro výzkum , vědu a inovace přijel minulý týden do česka na pozvání ministra školství…

po evaluaci mezinárodní vědeckou kontrolní skupinou byl pokročilý laserový systém l3 - hapls shledán jako plně funkční a integrovatelný ve výzkumném centru eli beamlines v dolních břežanech . v rámci hodnocení se vědci…

dolní břežany , 18 . 4 . 2018 - laserová centra eli beamlines a hilase v dolních břežanech již podruhé nabízí středoškolským studentům možnost přihlásit se do talentové akademie . umožní tak dvanácti vybraným…

eli beamlines je evropské výzkumné centrum , v rámci kterého vyvíjí mezinárodní tým vědců nejintenzivnější laserový systém na světě . po jeho instalaci a spuštění budeme mít k dispozici unikátní nástroj umožňující průkopnický výzkum nejen v oblasti fyziky a materiálových věd , ale také v biomedicíně a laboratorní astrofyzice .

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eli - np is going to be the most advanced research facility in the world focusing on the study of photonuclear physics and its applications , comprising a very high intensity laser of two 10pw ultra - short pulse lasers and the most brilliant tunable gamma - ray beam .

this unique experimental combination will enable eli - np to tackle a wide range of research topics in fundamental physics , nuclear physics and astrophysics , and also applied research in materials science , management of nuclear materials and life sciences .

γ / s ) , brilliant γ beam , ~ 0 . 1 % bandwidth , with e

during the first phase of implementation ( 2013 - 2015 ) , there were accomplished : recruitment of specialized staff , the components of the first 10pw laser in the world , the first part of gamma beam system and civil constructions .

at eli - np , two well - established scientific communities , high - power lasers and nuclear physics , have joined their efforts to build a new interdisciplinary facility and to define its research program . the scientific case for eli - np , based on the unique features of the high - power laser and gamma beams , was elaborated by an international collaboration of more than 100 scientists from 30 countries and published as the eli - np white book .

1 . investigation of the high - power laser - matter interactions using nuclear physics methods in order to study the possibilities of obtaining high quality proton and heavy ion accelerated beams using lasers . 2 . the extremely high intensity of the laser beam will allow the study of fundamental physics phenomena anticipated by theory , such as vacuum birefringence and pair creation in intense electric fields . 3 . investigation of nuclear structure and cross sections of interest for astrophysics using photonuclear reactions . 4 . new methods of identification and remote characterisation of nuclear materials will be investigated with application for homeland security ( remote automatic scanning of transport containers ) and nuclear material management . 5 . new ways of producing more efficiently radioisotopes currently used in medicine and the producing of newly proposed ones . 6 . simultaneous use of the high intensity gamma and laser beams will enable fundamental physics studies as pair production in vacuum .

- research activity 2 , both with specifications well beyond existing facilities and offering , through their combination , unique features among all the other world - wide planned facilities .

the directions of research to be studied at the new facility , mainly in the field of nuclear physics and related areas , are grouped in three other research activities . strong local teams , continuously growing during implementation phase , will develop state - of - the - art instrumentation for experiments in the emerging field of laser - driven nuclear physics .

the five research activities ( high - power laser system , high - brilliance gamma beam , nuclear physics with high - power lasers , nuclear physics and applications with high - brilliance gamma - beams and fundamental physics with combined laser and gamma beams ) emerged naturally , as a logical division between the r & d ; related to the experimental systems and the research pursued employing them , during the debates within the scientific community . more at :

situated in magurele , only 12 km away from downtown bucharest , the users of the eli - np facility benefit from all of the infrastructures and services provided within the metropolitan area .

concentrating 8 research infrastructures of national interest , magurele has the highest scientific visibility in romania , with five national r & d ; institutes ( nuclear , laser , plasma & space sciences , material physics , optoelectronics , seismology ) , one faculty of physics and two engineering companies ( optoelectronics & design of nuclear facilities ) .

the eli - np facility covers an area of approx . 33 , 000 m

of high quality , energy efficient buildings , mostly dedicated to the high - power laser system , gamma - beam production system and instrumentation for experiments .

eli - np will be an open access facility . the civil construction comprises an office building , a guest house and a canteen .

eli - np is overseen by the horia hulubei national institute of physics and nuclear engineering ( ifin - hh ) , dedicated to the research and development in nuclear physics & nuclear engineering and in related areas including astrophysics and particle physic , field theory , mathematical and computational physics , atomic physics , life & environmental physics .

the content of this document does not necessarily represent the official position of the european union or of the government of romania .

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the first operational laser , built in 1960 at the hughes research laboratory was only capable of emitting a series of irregular spikes within each pump pulse . lasers have come a long way since then . the method of chirped - pulse amplification ( cpa ) in the mid - 80s managed to drive lasers from terawatt to petawatt powers ( d . strickland & g . mourou opt . commun . 56 , 219–221 ; 1985 ) . a number of facilities around the world are hosting this class of powerful lasers : notably , the petawatt aquitaine laser ( petal ) at the laser megajoule facility in france ( 1 . 2 pw ; urltoken ) and the laser for fast ignition experiments ( lfex ) at osaka university in japan ( 2 pw peak power with picosecond pulses ; urltoken ) . however , most of the current facilities are at the low multi - petawatts level with repetition rates — with some exceptions — significantly below 1 hz .

the eli project is expected to push those limits even further . considered by many as the most ambitious research effort for laser technology in recent years , the project began in 2005 and was approved by the european strategy forum on scientific research infrastructures ( esfri ) the following year ( urltoken ) . this pan - european effort will outperform existing laser facilities by at least a factor of ten with regard to laser peak and average powers . according to wolfgang sandner , who served as director general and ceo of the eli delivery consortium international association ( urltoken ) , eli marks the onset of the next generation of high - peak and high - average - power systems , through a combination of new disruptive technologies : high - power optical parametric chirped pulse amplification , all - diode - pumped systems , coherent beam coupling , advanced active materials , optical surfaces and grating technologies .

these ultra - intense lasers will not only provide high electromagnetic fields but will also make possible the generation of ultrashort and ultrahigh energy beams of particles and radiations up to the tev range . as such , they are expected to primarily impact fundamental physics ; gérard mourou , initiator of eli and coordinator of the preparatory phase , comments that these facilities will permit studies of cosmos acceleration , vacuum nonlinearities , dark matter and dark energy , nonlinear quantum electrodynamic and chromodynamic fields , and radiation physics in the vicinity of the schwinger field ( urltoken ) . however , eli is expected to affect other disciplines , including materials research ( for example , the dynamics of reactions such as protein activity and protein folding , radiolysis , monitoring of chemical bonds and catalysis processes , as well as the investigation of defect creation and materials aging in nuclear reactors ) and medical applications ( such as , the production of new medical isotopes relevant to cancer chemotherapy ) .

eli was the first esfri project funded by european regional structural funds and national contributions from the host countries , with the total cost for the first three sites approaching €1 billion ( urltoken ) . eli constitutes a bold move towards a more balanced distribution of research capacities in the eu , at the same time placing the european research area at the forefront of laser technology worldwide and opening exciting possibilities for fundamental science .

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a scientific industrial park is planned in a 80 - hectare area surround the eli - alps facility and is welcoming all start - up and successful businesses that could utilize the laser research centre and are drawn to szeged by the inspirational atmosphere of the city . the hungarian molecular medicine centre of excellence will also operate in the eli science park and will be established as a large scientific investment of the eu . an automotive industry competence centre may also be formed in conjunction with the university of kecskemét . the first facilities are expected to open in 2019 .

my first impression about szeged was , that it is „a standard lovely western city . you can see colourful buildings everywhere ; enjoy the sunshine , walk in the nature , study in the bright , high - tech library” . i think this is a perfect place for students where they can experience sparkling culture diversity , enjoy the peacefulness of everyday life , meet a lot of kind and motivating people , enjoy the inspiring academic atmosphere , taste the food not only from hungary but also from the world . i can call szeged my second home .

i came from a city where young women have recently successfully fought against the mentality that had not allowed them to go to study abroad . 5 years ago families were extremely protective over their daughters , but nowadays it has been changed into a new perception which allows girls to have the freedom to choose their way of life : career and personal development .

university of szeged , hungary h - 6720 szeged , dugonics square 13 . phone : ( + 36 - 62 ) 544 - 000 fax : ( + 36 - 62 ) 546 - 371

university of szeged faculty of science and informatics 6720 szeged , aradi vértanúk tere 1 . e - mail : ttkdh @ urltoken

the government is providing support for the innovative project to be implemented in szeged amongst national programmes within the framework of the new széchenyi plan . due to its key significance the implementation will be directly supervised by the ministry of national development . the national programmes of the new széchenyi plan include large projects resulting in considerable benefits to the union and take account of all regions . we backed the eli programme with the hope and the definite idea that it could become the engine for significant regional economic and social developments .

the eli - programme reflects the spirit expressed in the new széchenyi plan : the cooperation of the hungarian scientific and economic sphere is essential for the successful operation of the research base . the key return of the project is the knowledge transfer , which could develop the region into an economic , innovative and scientific centre .

the programme that will be implemented in a european cooperation will not end with the completion of the facility and the international research centre : the eli represents a huge opportunity for the hungarian and international scientific world , potentially influencing higher education in hungary and having a beneficial effect on the economy in the szeged region – including cross - border areas with serbia and romania .

besides hungary , the czech republic , france , great britain and romania also applied to build the facility . after careful consideration , the management of the preparatory project made the final decision on 1 october 2010 to have the eli built on three sites focusing on slightly differing but complementing scientific programmes :

the completion of the laser centre in szeged will act as a magnet ( stimulating force ) for the technical - scientific development of hungary and the competitiveness of the background industries , as well as strengthen the economy of the region . by becoming one of the regional centres of international scientific life it will be a contributory factor in attracting foreign experts and in the resettlement of hungarian researchers .

© national research , development and innovation office h - 1077 bp , kéthly anna tér 1 . , phone : ( + 361 ) 795 9500

funded by directorate - general for research & innovation of the european commission and involving more than 40 european academic and research institutions , the preparatory phase of eli ( €6 million : 2007 - 2010 ) proved successful in gaining growing interest and support from the international scientific community and in bringing the project to a level of scientific , technical , legal and financial maturity enabling its implementation .

eli’s novelty goes beyond science . funded by means of structural funds , the project represents a remarkable example of how the instruments of the eu’s regional policy can be used to serve both the objective of economic cohesion and the development of the european research area . the three eli facilities will be co - funded by structural funds from the european regional development fund ( erdf ) . the eli beamlines facility , located in the czech republic , was approved for funding by the european commission on 20 april 2011 ( € 236 million , out of the total € 278 million budget , being funded by structural funds ) . the eli nuclear physics facility is granted € 180 million funding by the european commission for its first phase until 2015 ( ec decision on 18 september 2012 ) . it is located in măgurele ( south of bucharest ) in romania and is expected to be operational in 2015 . the total budget of eli - np amounts to € 356 . 2 million . the eli attosecond facility , with a total budget of about € 245 million , in szeged , hungary , will submit a grant application to the european commission in autumn 2012 .

resulting from a truly pan - european effort , the project is expected to deliver high scientific and economic impact at both european and regional levels : the development of the local scientific communities of course , but also numerous opportunities of technological collaboration and knowledge transfer between the research community and the industry , with huge potential economic impact for the hosting regions , but also for society at large , in particular in the field of material sciences and medicine . collaboration with the local authorities and the actors of the research and innovation system will be a key success factor in the three countries to develop an environment enabling the diffusion of eli’s benefits and their sustainable appropriation by the region . at the level of the european research area , eli will represent a significant and long - term contribution for the integration of europe’s research system , for a more balanced distribution of research capacities in the eu and , eventually , an opportunity for more and better mobility of researchers and knowledge throughout the continent .

contact persons : eli beamlines facility : vlastimil růžička ( ruzickav @ fzu . cz ) eli nuclear physics facility : nicolae - victor zamfir ( dirgen @ nipne . ro ) eli attosecond laser pulse source facility : lorant lehrner ( lorant . lehrner @ eli - hu . hu ) eli delivery consortium : florian gliksohn ( florian . gliksohn @ eli - laser . eu )

save the date : launch of the esfri roadmap 2018 event | 11 . 09 . 2018 | aula der wissenschaften , vienna

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talking about viktor orbán’s stamina . after the grueling five - day trip to beijing and a busy last week and weekend , today orbán went to the city of szeged to open the eli laser center .

it was on october 1 , 2009 that the eu decided to give these three former communist countries a mandate to proceed with the construction of eli facilities . being a pan - european project , 85 % of all costs would be covered from the european regional development fund . there was only one caveat : these governments didn’t receive extra resources from the european union for these facilities . they had to use a small portion of their seven - year budget that came from the european union . it was gordon bajnai’s government that signed the agreement , but the whole project , including the decision to construct the center in szeged , began in 2006 during the second gyurcsány government .

with this timetable in mind , let’s turn to viktor orbán’s speech at the ribbon cutting . first , he made sure that his audience understands that “this facility is not a gift” from the european union . it was paid partly from the country’s own resources and partly from monies hungary received from the european union . and since , in his opinion , hungary is entitled to the money it receives from the european union , orbán considers the money coming from brussels to be part of the country’s own resources , which could be used in any way he wants . it was a hard decision , he said , because 70 - 80 billion forints for a single project is a lot . yet “in 2011 we decided , i believe correctly , to build the largest scientific institution in hungary’s modern history . ” ( the ferenc puskás stadium will cost hungarian taxpayers 200 billion forints , and the cost of the world aquatic games has reached 100 billion and counting . )

what happened between october 1 , 2009 , when the bajnai government gave its blessing to the project , and 2012 , when the orbán government decided to build the facility ? well , one obvious event was the may 2010 national election when viktor orbán again became prime minister of hungary . without dwelling on this three - year gap , orbán said that “today at the time of success , it is unnecessary to recall disputes at the time , but it was seriously debated whether to concentrate on one large investment or not . ” the truth is that the orbán government refused to honor the bajnai government’s offer of 200 million euros for its construction . shortly after the election , it withheld one billion forints promised earlier for the planning stage of the project .

before the municipal elections in october 2010 , lajos kósa , vice chairman of fidesz , and the fidesz candidate for the mayoralty in szeged held a joint press conference during which they accused the socialist mayor , lászló botka , of misleading the people of szeged . they claimed that no money whatsoever will be coming from the european union . but , they added , the orbán government is all in favor of the project and is trying to find the necessary funds , which is not easy under the present financial circumstances .

of course , all this was just a charade to mislead the people of szeged , who were naturally keen to have this prestigious project built in their city . the government wanted to use the eu monies for something else , and behind the scenes they were trying to convince the european union to allow them to abandon the project . as late as august 2012 there was still no decision . lászló botka , in an interview at the time , expressed his fear that the project would be cancelled . “some people are convinced that orbán is reluctant to spend 10 billion forints on szeged . apparently he is thinking of spending this amount of money on fidesz - led cities . for example , he could divide the amount among 3 , 000 bakers , ” he said sarcastically , since apparently the government was thinking of subsidizing small - and medium - size businesses from the money .

orbán now talks about the laser center as being of “tremendous value” and proudly claimed in his speech that the very existence of the eli center is proof of fidesz’s even - handedness . too bad that some people have a good memory .

angela merkel antal rogán anti - semitism attila mesterházy bernadett szél budapest corruption demokratikus koalíció dk donald trump education european commission european parliament european union ferenc gyurcsány fidesz george soros gordon bajnai györgy matolcsy gábor vona holocaust jean - claude juncker jobbik jános lázár lajos simicska lmp lászló botka lászló kövér magyar nemzet media mszp mária schmidt orbán government politics péter szijjártó refugee crisis refugees russia u . s . - hungarian relations ukraine united states viktor orbán vladimir putin zoltán balog zsolt bayer

html public " - / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 transitional / / en " " urltoken "

since dana strickland and gerard mourou have invented the cpa scheme [ 1 ] , ultra - intense laser systems have been developed and have been deployed all over the world covering many physics applications such as particle acceleration , laser fusion , eos etc . fast ignition in laser fusion involves a short laser pulse within 1 - 10 pico seconds in the experiments at laser intensities at 10 18 w / cm 2 or high above and has been my major research subject for more than 15 years [ 2 ] .

how high can we reach in the laser systems ? what kind of physics can be tested ? to answer these questions 10 23 w / cm 2 intensity has been recently claimed to be built as an experimental platform at eli - np [ 3 ] where i am going to be deeply involved as the science director as of sept 2016 .

the eli - np will be introduced after my brief review of laser plasma physics history .

1 . d . strickland and g . mourou : opt . commun . 56 ( 1985 ) 219 .

2 . m tabak , d hinkel , s atzeni , em campbell , and ka tanaka , fus . sci . tech . , 49 , 254 ( 2006 )

on the eli - np project , thales is not only responsible for the turnkey development and supply of a complex scientific instrument delivering unprecedented levels of power , but will train romanian engineers and technicians to install and operate the system for european research programmes .

the field of the uncharted territory of high - intensity laser interaction with matter is confronted with new exotic phenomena and , consequently , opens new research perspectives . the intense laser beams interacting with a gas or solid target generate beams of electrons , protons and ions . these beams can induce nuclear reactions . electrons also generate ions high - energy photons via bremsstrahlung processes which can also induce nuclear reactions . in this context a new research domain began to form in the last decade or so , namely nuclear physics with high power lasers . the observation of high brilliance proton beams of tens of mev energy from solid targets has stimulated an intense research activity . the laser - driven particle beams have to compete with conventional nuclear accelerator - generated beams . the ultimate goal is aiming at applications of the laser produced beams in research , technology and medicine . the mechanism responsible for ion acceleration are currently subject of intensive research in many laboratories in the world . the existing results , experimental and theoretical , and their perspectives are reviewed in this article in the context of izest and the scientific program of eli - np .

these keywords were added by machine and not by the authors . this process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves .

see the review article by g . mourou , t . tajima , s . bulanov , rev . mod . phys .

k . w . d . ledingham , w . galster , new j . phys .

d . habs , t . tajima , v . zamfir , nuclear phys . news

e . l . clark , et al . , phys . rev . lett .

r . a . snavely , et al . , phys . rev . lett .

a . p . l . robinson , et al . , new j . phys .

b . m . hegelich , et al . , new j . phys .

l . o . silva , et al . , phys . rev . lett .

see for ex . s . s . bulanov , et al . , phys . rev . e


cst brands , inc. is an american publicly traded fuel and convenience retailer .

it is the second-largest of its kind in north america , with 1,900 outlets in the u.s. and canada .

cst brands had 2013 revenues of about $ 12.8 billion and made approximately $ 360 million in ebitda .

stores are concentrated in the central and southwestern u.s. states and in eastern canada .

corner store is the firm 's primary retail brand in the us and in canada 's english speaking provinces .

in canada 's french speaking provinces , dépanneur du coin is the company 's retail brand .

in addition to convenience store retail sales , cst brands also sells fuel under a number of licensed energy brands such as valero , exxon , shell , and phillips 66 .

the company was created on may 1 , 2013 , when valero energy corporation decided to spin off its retail operations in an effort to focus on refining .

on august 6 , 2014 , cst brands agreed to buy lehigh gas gp llc , the general partner of lehigh gas partners lp ( lgp ) , from lehigh gas corp in a cash and stock deal .

cst brands will also acquire the associated incentive distribution rights of lgp .

the deal closed on october 1 , 2014 and lgp changed its name to crossamerica partners lp , trading under the ticker symbol " capl " .

on august 22 , 2016 , alimentation couche-tard agreed to buy cst brands in a deal worth $ 4.4 billion including net debt assumed .

the transaction officially closed june 28 , 2017 .

cst brands

cst brands <EOT> glassdoor has 96 cst brands reviews submitted anonymously by cst brands employees . read employee reviews and ratings on glassdoor to decide if cst brands is right for you .

parent of circle k agrees to buy cst brands for $ 4 . 4 billion

couche - tard acquiring cst brands in $ 4 . 4b deal | convenience store news

the process took 3 + months . i interviewed at cst brands in december 2014 .

glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it ' s like to work at cst brands , including salaries , reviews , office photos , and more . this is the cst brands company profile . all content is posted anonymously by employees working at cst brands .

the process took 3 + months . i interviewed at cst brands in december - 2014 .

kim lubel has helmed cst brands since it spun off from valero energy corp . in 2013 .

the partnership funded the transaction through funds available under its credit facility and cst brands utilized available cash .

news about cst brands inc . , including commentary and archival articles published in the new york times .

cst brands immediately became a fortune 500 company upon spinning off from valero energy corp . in 2013 .

circle k parent company finalizes $ 4 . 4 billion merger with cst brands - san antonio express - news

couche - tard finally closes acquisition of san antonio - based cst brands inc . - san antonio business journal

san antonio — circle k parent alimentation couche - tard appears to be the winner in the cst brands sweepstakes .

parent of circle k agrees to buy cst brands for $ 4 . 4 billion - san antonio express - news

alimentation couche - tard inc . and cst brands , inc . ; analysis to aid public comment ; proposed consent agreement

valero stockholders on the books in mid april will receive one share of cst brands for every 9 valero shares they hold .

alimentation couche - tard inc . confirms closing of the agreement with cst brands , inc . and its transaction with parkland fuel corporation

, of the acquisition of cst brands , inc . ( " cst " ) and its transaction with parkland fuel corporation ( " parkland " ) ( tsx : pki ) .

cst brands currently operates a network of about 2 , 000 convenience stores . how would those sites be handled by a new owner ?

a new energy company is born — refiner valero energy corp . officially spun off its retail unit on wednesday , creating cst brands inc .

cst brands inc . operates approximately 2 , 000 locations throughout the southwestern united states , georgia , florida , new york and eastern canada .

lubel steered cst brands through its spinoff from valero energy corp . in 2013 and has since helmed the company . activist investors pushed cst brands to a sale last year after it saddled itself with liabilities tied to its aggressive expansion strategy that depressed its stock value and threatened its credit rating .

cst brands sold for $ 3 . 67b as couche - tard bets on u . s . gas stations amid the rise of uber and tesla

) , a subsidiary of seven & i holdings co . , ltd . , signed an agreement to acquire stores from cst brands , inc .

juicy crack spreads have kept downstream refining facilities profitable for the past year , but valero ( vlo ) might be offering investors something even better via its retail operations spinoff cst brands ( cst ) .

terry monroe , founder and president of american business brokers & advisers , added once cst is acquired , couche - tard will focus on improving in - store operations at cst brands locations . he also expects cost cutting to take place at acquired cst locations .

valero announced the spin - off earlier this month . cst brands had 2012 revenue of about $ 13 billion . stores are concentrated in the central and southwestern u . s . states . it also sells fuel under the valero and diamond shamrock brands .

, adjusted to include the acquisition of cst brands , inc . , couche - tard ' s network comprised of close to 9 , 500 convenience stores throughout

the $ 4 . 4 billion deal that will see canadian firm alimentation couche - tard take over san antonio - based cst brands inc . officially closed wednesday .

ftc approves final order requiring divestitures of retail fuel stations and convenience stores related to alimentation couche - tard inc . ’s merger with competitor cst brands , inc .

the acquisition of cst brands also included a transaction with parkland fuel corporation , who will be purchasing a majority of cst’s canadian assets from couche - tard , which are located in quebec , ontario and the atlantic provinces .

cst brands inc . , the parent company of convenience store operator corner store , has closed on its acquisition of nice n easy grocery shoppes in new york state .

quebec - based alimentation couche - tard , the parent company of circle k , closed its $ 4 . 4 billion merger with cst brands inc . on wednesday .

in late march , joe topper , chief executive officer and president of crossamerica partners , announced his plans to retire as ceo effective sept . 30 , 2015 , and resigned as president effective immediately . the new president , jeremy bergeron , who currently serves as senior vice president of integration and development for cst brands , comes with nearly 20 years of experience with valero and cst brands . topper will continue to serve on the boards of both cst brands and crossamerica after he formally steps down as ceo .

cst brands was valued at $ 3 . 4 billion before the report , but rose to $ 3 . 55 billion in tuesday morning trade . it’s assumed laval , quebec - based couche - tard would at least pay this $ 3 . 55 figure to cst brands , and probably more . experts predicted cst brands could fetch at least $ 50 per share , with herzog predicting a price that could reach up to $ 56 per share . the company traded at approximately $ 47 per share on aug . 16 .

in november 2014 , the company closed on the acquisition of nice n easy grocery shoppes . cst will retain the nice n easy brand . cst brands and crossamerica jointly purchased the assets of nice n easy , with crossamerica purchasing 23 fee sites , as well as certain fuel - distribution assets for $ 65 million . cst brands purchased the retail operations at the 32 company - operated sites and certain other assets .

valero energy corp . spun off its retail segment into a new company , cst brands inc . , which debuted on the new york stock exchange on may 1 , 2013 .

the jones company was advised in the transaction by fifth third securities , a subsidiary of fifth third bank . rbc capital markets llc advised cst brands , inc . in the transaction .

bonnie herzog , managing director , beverage , tobacco & convenience store research for wells fargo securities llc , has long looked at couche - tard as a likely acquirer for cst brands .

ftc requires retail fuel station and convenience store operator alimentation couche - tard inc . to divest up to 71 fuel stations as a condition of merger with competitor cst brands , inc .

san antonio — alimentation couche - tard inc . is acquiring cst brands inc . in a $ 4 . 4 - billion deal . the merger agreement announced monday morning brings an end to months of speculation about the future of locally based cst .

cst brands and crossamerica partners lp ( nyse : capl ) jointly purchased the assets of nice n easy , with crossamerica purchasing 23 fee sites as well as certain fuel distribution assets for $ 65 million while cst brands purchased the retail operations at the 32 company - operated sites and certain other assets . crossamerica will lease the acquired real estate to cst and will provide wholesale fuel supply to 24 nice n easy sites under long - term agreements .

san antonio - based cst brands ( nyse : cst ) is the parent company of corner store , the second - largest convenience store operator in north america with 1 , 900 locations in the southwest united states and eastern canada and 12 , 000 employees .

joe topper , the chairman and ceo of the general partner of lgp prior to cst’s acquisition , will continue to serve as president and ceo of the general partner and has joined the board of directors of cst brands . kim lubel , the chairman and ceo of cst brands , will assume the role of chairman of the general partner . “this is a very exciting day for all of us , and signals the start of a new chapter of growth for both cst and the partnership , ” said lubel . “i am happy to welcome joe topper to our leadership team and , on behalf of the cst board of directors , to the cst board . ”

“i want to welcome the dedicated team members of flash foods to cst , ” said kim lubel , chairman and ceo of cst brands . “we have great respect for the organization and are excited to work with and share best practices with this experienced group . ”

when cst brands announced plans to explore strategic alternatives , its stock was hovering between the low and mid - $ 30s per share . recently , the stock has climbed to $ 41 per share .

ftc requires retail fuel station and convenience store operator alimentation couche - tard inc . to divest up to 71 fuel stations as a condition of merger with competitor cst brands , inc . | federal trade commission

the canadian parent company of circle k convenience stores finalized its $ 4 . 4 billion merger with cst brands inc . as ceo kim lubel announced she is leaving the san antonio - based convenience store operator .

san antonio - based cst brands will release its second - quarter results on aug . 5 . it comes five months after the retailer formally launched a full exploration of strategic alternatives in response to pressure from activist shareholders who late last year accused cst leadership of failing to deliver shareholder value .

at least two parties interviewed—each with a different perspective of cst—raised the idea of naming former susser holdings / stripes convenience stores head sam susser ( pictured above ) as ceo of cst brands . one suggested bringing in susser , who sold his company in 2014 to energy transfer partners , even if cst isn’t sold , while the other identified susser as an alluring figure should an investment group acquire cst . the speculation is rooted largely in two key factors :

given its profitability , cst brands looks already like a “buy” — or at least a “hold” if you received shares in the spinoff . the deal looks even better when you compare it to its major publicly traded competitors .

kim lubel , president and ceo of cst brands inc . , will leave the company after it completes its $ 4 . 4 billion merger with alimentation couche - tard inc . , the canadian parent company of circle k .

couche - tard inc . agreed to purchase cst brands , which operates the corner store chain of convenience stores , in an all - cash transaction in august . as part of the deal , couche - tard will assume cst’s debt , which stood at $ 2 . 5 billion as of march 31 .

today i say goodbye to the great cst team members that make cst strong . how lucky i am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard ! urltoken

a cst spokesperson did not immediately respond to follow - up requests for comment .

) - - cst brands , inc . ( nyse : cst ) and lehigh gas partners ( nyse : lgp ) today announced cst’s completion of the purchase of 100 % of the membership interests of lehigh gas gp llc , the general partner of lehigh gas partners lp ( nyse : lgp ) from lehigh gas corporation and all of the outstanding idrs of lgp . the aggregate consideration was $ 17 million in cash and 2 . 044 million shares of cst common stock .

san antonio - - as speculation swirls around the likely sale of convenience - store retailer cst brands , analysts , industry insiders and investors of the publicly traded company agree that the company’s upcoming second - quarter earnings call is critical .

a refining behemoth that became a retail giant as well , valero energy corp . spun off its retail segment into cst brands inc . , debuting on the new york stock exchange on may 1 , 2013 . since then , cst brands has been focused on the corner store brand , building new sites and acquiring convenience stores , growing its footprint in the northeast , texas and arizona . it has added more than 1 , 400 employees , totaling about 13 , 500 .

a refining behemoth that became a retail giant as well , valero energy corp . spun off its retail segment into a new company , cst brands inc . , which debuted on the new york stock exchange on may 1 , 2013 .

circle k and kangaroo express owner alimentation couche - tard inc . is about to buy cst brands inc . according to published reports and that could catapult the canadian - based retailer ahead of irving - based 7 - eleven by store count .

in addition to lubel , cst’s top four executives also will be leaving the company .

for cst brands and ceo kim lubel , the company ' s sale completes a three and a half year run on the nyse in which it rose roughly 65 % , more than doubling the gains posted by the s & p 500 index . “after the board’s comprehensive review of strategic alternatives to enhance stockholder value , we are pleased to reach this agreement with couche - tard , which we expect to provide immediate and compelling value to our stockholders , ” added kim lubel , ceo of cst brands .

cst brands ceo and president kim lubel echoed hannasch , “this really gives us a nice scale for circle k in texas and fits almost like a jigsaw puzzle when you layer the two together , on the u . s . footprint in particular . ”

cst brands , inc . investors : randy palmer , 210 - 692 - 2160 executive director – investor relations or media : lisa koenig , 210 - 692 - 2659 director of communications or the deberry group melissa ludwig or trish deberry , 210 - 223 - 2772

quebec - based alimentation couche - tard inc . , the parent company of the circle k chain of gas stations , has agreed to buy san antonio - based convenience store operator cst brands for about $ 4 . 4 billion in an all - cash transaction .

the san antonio - based corner store chain of convenience stores will be rebranded circle k after the two brands’ parent companies finalized a $ 4 . 4 billion merger wednesday .

alimentation couche - tard inc . announced it has obtained clearance from the ftc for the acquisition of cst brands inc ( nyse : cst ) . couche - tard has agreed to sell 70 sites to empire petroleum partners , llc in the u . s . and expects the divestiture transaction to close at the end of august or in early september , 2017 .

couche - tard has also entered into an agreement with parkland fuel corp . to sell certain canadian assets of cst after the merger for approximately $ 750 million . the assets include cst ' s cardlock business , cst ' s dealer and commission agents business , cst ' s commercial and home energy business , a number of company - operated stores to be determined following the competition bureau of canada ' s review of the transaction and cst ' s montréal corporate head office .

two venture capital firms that own shares in cst brands , jcp investment management llc and engine capital lp , have criticized the retailer in the past for poor merchandise sales . these activists ' efforts led cst to appoint convenience store industry veterans tad dickson and rocky dewbre to its board of directors and undertake an “exploration of strategic alternatives to further enhance shareholder value . ”

and then in june , 7 - eleven bought 79 stores from cst in california and wyoming .

) - - cst brands , inc . ( nyse : cst ) , a san antonio - based fortune 500 fuel and convenience retailer , announced today the closing of the previously announced acquisition of the flash foods store network from the jones company and its affiliates . based in waycross , ga , the jones company and its affiliates operate 165 stores in the georgia and florida markets .

investors will receive $ 48 . 53 a share for cst — a price that is 42 percent higher than cst’s closing price on march 3 , shortly before the company announced it was considering a sale , couche - tard said monday . couche - tard also agreed to assume all of cst’s debt .

based on several metrics , cst is the cheapest of its peer group . based on projected earnings , cst can be had for a forward p / e of just 14 , compared to 17 . 6 for susser holdings ( suss ) and 18 . 33 for casey’s general stores ( casy ) . on the enterprise value / ebitda , cst brands is still better than its two peers , clocking in at just 8 . 2 . that compares 8 . 4 and 9 . 3 for its respective rivals .

cst unveiled the corner store market brand , which focused on fresh food and groceries , in november 2015 .

cst brands , inc . investors : randy palmer , 210 - 692 - 2160 director – investor relations or media : the deberry group melissa ludwig or trish deberry , 210 - 223 - 2772 or crossamerica partners lp investors : karen yeakel , 610 - 625 - 8126 vice president , investor relations kyeakel @ urltoken

on monday , quebec - based convenience store operator alimentation couche - tard unveiled a $ 3 . 67 billion takeover of cst brands , a conglomerate that supplies exxonmobil , valero , bp , shell and phillips66 fuel to some 3 , 000 gas stations around the country and operates hundreds of gas station convenience stores .

regarding why the deal makes sense for couche - tard , monroe responded the parent of circle k " can add to its geographic footrptint in the southern portion of the united states . texas is one region that is desirable , as is georgia [ where cst brands acquired flash foods inc . sites ] . "

additionally , one of the new directors added to the cst board in march was former susser executive rocky dewbre .

retail fuel station and convenience store operator alimentation couche - tard inc . has agreed to divest up to 71 retail fuel stations with convenience stores to empire petroleum partners in order to settle federal trade commission charges that act’s proposed $ 4 . 4 billion acquisition of competitor cst brands , inc . would violate federal antitrust law .

couche - tard inc . agreed to purchase cst brands , which operates the corner store chain of convenience stores , in an all - cash transaction in august . couche - tard won merger approvals from regulators in the u . s . and canada earlier this week and completed the merger wednesday . as part of the deal , couche - tard will assume cst’s debt , which stood at $ 2 . 5 billion as of march 31 .

bofa merrill lynch is serving as lead financial advisor and j . p . morgan chase is also serving as financial advisor to cst . wachtell , lipton , rosen & katz and stikeman elliott are acting as legal advisors to cst .

in speaking with an industry analyst recently , senior management of cst brands and crossamerica stated that they are currently looking at 20 deals in their acquisition pipeline and are targeting $ 150 million to $ 200 million in acquisitions a year , subject to market conditions . cst is also focused on organic growth , and plans to build 35 to 40 new locations in the united states this year , as well as 10 to 12 new locations in canada .

cst brands , inc . ( nyse : cst ) , a fortune 500 company , is one of the largest independent retailers of motor fuels and convenience merchandise in north america . based in san antonio , texas , cst employs over 14 , 000 team members at over 2 , 000 locations throughout the southwestern united states , georgia , florida , new york and eastern canada offering a broad array of convenience merchandise , beverages , snacks and fresh food . in the u . s . , cst corner stores proudly sell fuel and signature products such as fresh choices baked and packaged goods , u force energy and sport drinks , cibolo mountain coffee , fc soda and flavors2go fountain drinks . in canada , cst is the exclusive provider of ultramar fuel and its dépanneur du coin and corner stores sell signature transit café coffee and pastries . cst also owns the general partner of crossamerica partners lp , a master limited partnership and wholesale distributor of motor fuels , based in allentown , pennsylvania . for more information about cst , please visit urltoken .

cst brands , inc . , a fortune 500 company , is one of the largest independent retailers of motor fuels and convenience merchandise in north america . based in san antonio , texas , cst employs nearly 12 , 000 team members at nearly 1 , 900 locations throughout the southwestern united states and eastern canada offering a broad array of convenience merchandise , beverages , snacks and fresh food . in the u . s . , cst corner stores proudly sell fuel and signature products such as fresh choices baked and packaged goods , u force energy and sport drinks , cibolo mountain coffee , fc soda and flavors2go fountain drinks . in canada , cst is the exclusive provider of ultramar fuel and its dépanneur du coin and corner stores sell signature transit café coffee and pastries . for more information about cst , please visit urltoken .

if you want a real dark horse , some industry observers say keep an eye out for the company that originally divested cst brands—valero energy . “i don’t see it , ” one investor said , “but if they could get it for the right price , it would ensure them a large retail network to carry their [ valero fuel ] brand . ”

the cst acquisition , valued at $ 48 . 53 a share , is a big get for couche - tard’s fleet .

valero on tuesday reported first - quarter earnings of $ 1 . 18 a share , compared to estimates around $ 1 a share . on a conference call with analysts , the refiner said it is considering spinning off its “midstream” business – logistics , transportation and storage — into a master limited partnership after it completes the spin - off of cst brands .

at this stage , there is less than a 5 % probability that cst brands will remain an independent operator . according to multiple sources , the company will be sold before the end of year . two sources confirmed that if the company is not sold by year’s end , ceo kim lubel ( pictured above ) could be replaced with an interim leader .

cst brands has about 1 , 900 company - operated convenience stores and gas stations in the united states and canada and more than 5 , 000 retail and branded wholesale outlets in the united states , canada and the caribbean . most of the u . s . company - operated stores do business under the name corner store and most sell valero fuel .

last year , valero decided to spin off cst brands in a move that will concentrate its operations to strictly refining petroleum . that will make vlo a much leaner refining operation and will remove much of the “uncertainty” of retail from its earnings . valero also is considering spinning off its midstream assets into an mlp to gain the tax advantages of being general partner .

cst brands has about 2 , 000 company - operated convenience stores and gas stations in the united states and canada and more than 5 , 000 retail and branded - wholesale outlets in the united states , canada and the caribbean . most of the u . s . company - operated stores do business under the name corner store and most sell valero fuel .

this press release and any oral statements made regarding the subjects of this release may contain forward - looking statements of cst brands and crossamerica partners . the words “believe , ” “expect , ” “should , ” “intends , ” “estimates , ” and other similar expressions identify forward - looking statements . it is important to note that actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward - looking statements . for more information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed or forecasted , see cst brand’s and crossamerica’s ( formerly lehigh gas partners’ ) form 10 - qs or form 10 - k filed with the securities and exchange commission , available at urltoken . neither cst brands or crossamerica partners undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release , whether as a result of new information , future events or otherwise .

he added couche - tard is " excited to share best practices with cst as well as to combine the capabilities of cst ' s team with couche - tard ' s , to enhance value for our stockholders . we strongly believe that our all - cash offer is a compelling one for cst ' s stockholders , giving them the opportunity to realize full and immediate value for their investment . "

and couche - tard would be making the leap over 7 - eleven with the purchase of a texas - based company . the wall street journal this morning is quoting sources who said couche - tard is nearing a deal to pay $ 3 . 4 billion for san antonio - based cst brands , which was formed in 2013 when valero energy corp . spun off its stores .

acquiring cst also gives couche - tard a leg up in the convenience store industry’s shift toward in - store sales of fresh food .

these assets include 159 cst stores , its montreal corporate office , its commercial cardlock business and its entire commercial and home energy business .

“it’s been more than four months since cst began looking at strategic alternatives . some investors are growing impatient , ” said one institutional investor , who , like others interviewed for this story , spoke on condition of anonymity to comment openly about cst and its future prospects .

couche - tard will , through its acquisition , also acquire cst ' s interest in crossamerica partners lp and associated incentive distribution rights .

closing of the acquisition of cst is expected to occur on june 28 , 2017 . cst stockholders will receive $ 48 . 53 in cash per share , for a total enterprise value of approximately us $ 4 . 4 billion , including the assumption of net debt .

in 2014 , cst acquired the general partner of crossamerica partners lp ( formerly lehigh gas partners ) and then jointly acquired 32 nice n easy grocery shoppes in new york , and erickson oil of wisconsin and its 64 freedom valu stores . cst brands also picked up 22 timewise stores in texas from landmark industries and 41 company - operated one stop convenience stores based in charleston , w . va . , along with four commission agent sites , nine dealer fuel - supply agreements and one freestanding franchised quick - service restaurant .

cst brands has company - operated convenience stores and gas stations in the united states and canada and more than 5 , 000 retail and branded wholesale outlets in the u . s . , canada and the caribbean . more than half of cst ' s u . s . corner stores are located in texas . most of the u . s . company - operated stores do business under the name corner store and most sell valero fuel , but the company is emphasizing the corner store brand rather than the fuel brand .

statements contained in this release that state the company’s or management’s expectations or predictions of the future are forward - looking statements . the words “believe , ” “expect , ” “should , ” “intends , ” “estimates , ” “target” and other similar expressions identify forward - looking statements . it is important to note that actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward - looking statements . for more information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed or forecasted , see cst brands’ form 10 - qs and form 10 - k filed with the securities and exchange commission , and available on cst brands’ website at urltoken . the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release , whether as a result of new information , future events or otherwise .

monday ' s all - cash deal values cst brands at $ 48 . 53 a share , a 42 % premium to the company ' s share price in march when reports of a sale first surfaced . couche - tard is valuing cst at $ 4 . 4 billion when including its debt . for couche - tard , the acquisition will expand its footprint in the u . s . and will give it ownership of a company that sold nearly 3 billion gallons of gasoline last year and generated $ 11 . 4 billion in sales .

add in the fact that cst management has already stated its intention to pay a dividend , and you have a recipe for long - term success .

cst’s stock - price reaction in light of the news was somewhat unusual . instead of rising toward couche - tard’s offer price as expected , cst dropped slightly monday , closing at $ 47 . 45 a share . and in another curiosity , couche - tard’s shares soared by more then 7 percent .

this review led cst to shed some underperforming assets , including 79 convenience stores in california and wyoming , which the company sold to 7 - eleven inc .

the price tag equals $ 48 . 53 per share in cash . in all , the transaction value represents a premium of approximately 42 percent to cst ' s closing stock price on march 3 , the last date prior to cst announcing that its board of directors began exploring strategic alternatives to further enhance stockholder value .

in june , cst brands , with partner crossamerica partners lp , entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the one stop convenience - store chain based in charleston , west virginia . the transaction includes 41 company - operated one stop convenience stores , four commission - agent sites , nine dealer fuel - supply agreements and one freestanding franchised quick - service restaurant . of the 45 company - operated and commission agent sites , 30 are owned in fee . five of the company - operated locations have quick - service restaurants . for the year ended dec . 31 , 2014 , the aggregate 54 sites sold approximately 36 million gallons of motor fuel primarily under the marathon and exxon fuel brands , and had approximately $ 40 . 5 million in inside sales .

laval , quebec - based couche - tard is a global leader in the convenience and fuel retail industry , with a strong circle k brand across the united states . together , couche - tard and cst will join on the journey to become the world ' s preferred destination for convenience and fuel , according to cst .

the merger constitutes a significant coup for couche - tard in its bid to become the dominant convenience store operator in north america . cst brands operates 2 , 019 stores in the united states and canada , a network attained by the san antonio’s aggressive acquisitions strategy since it spun from valero energy corp . in 2013 — though the approach saddled the company with billions in debt . the acquisition brings couche - tard’s north american convenience store network to 10 , 180 stores .

while it currently trades at a discount , cst won’t stay that way for long . with long - term pricing contracts for gasoline still in hand from its former parent , along with its healthy real estate advantage ( can you say a reit potential ? ) , analysts estimate cst should and will eventually trade for a hefty premium in the space . just how hefty ? if cst can approach the industry average for ev / margins , shares should trade about 70 % higher than current prices .

cst’s network of convenience stores offer a broad array of merchandise , beverages , snacks and fresh food . in the united sates , cst corner stores sell products such as fresh choices baked and packaged goods , u force energy and sport drinks , cibolo mountain coffee , fc soda and flavors2go fountain drinks . u . s . stores are known for kolaches and whoopie pies . in 2012 , cst sold more than four million kolaches and 1 . 3 million whoopie pies baked fresh in its u . s . stores . in canada , cst is the exclusive provider of ultramar fuels and its depanneur du coin and corner stores sell signature transit cafe coffee and pastries .

cst brands , inc . operates as a holding company , which conducts substantially all of its operations through its subsidiaries . it is an independent retailer of motor fuel and convenience merchandise items in the u . s . and eastern canada . the company ' s operations include the sale of motor fuel at convenience stores , filling stations and cardlocks , the sale of convenience merchandise items and services at convenience stores and the sale of heating oil to residential customers and heating oil and

ceo kim lubel , who led cst from its inception through the merger , announced wednesday that the closing of the deal would be her last day with the company .

meanwhile , cst made $ 112 million from fuel sales during the three - month period ended march 31 compared with $ 120 million during the same timeframe last year .

headquartered in quebec , canada , act operates convenience stores and retail fuel stations worldwide , including nearly 4 , 700 in united states . almost all the convenience stores , which operate primarily under the circle k and kangaroo express banners , also sell retail fuel under a variety of company and third - party brands .

the sale of more than stores by cst would be one of the biggest recent moves at consolidating the convenience store industry and would give couche - tard new bragging rights .

cst shareholders are still making out pretty well in this deal , considering the run up in shares since cst announced it was exploring a sale . couche - tard is topping the stock’s highest stand - alone price since its 2013 spinoff from valero and paying a 26 percent premium to analysts’ average price target before the sale speculation picked up in the spring .

cst ' s network of convenience stores offer a broad array of merchandise , beverages , snacks and fresh food . in the united states , cst corner stores sell private - label products , such as fresh choices baked and packaged goods , u force energy and sport drinks , cibolo mountain coffee , fc soda and flavors2go fountain drinks . u . s . stores are known for kolaches and whoopie pies . in canada , cst is the exclusive provider of ultramar fuels and its depanneur du coin and corner stores sell signature transit cafe coffee and pastries .

while the heart of its portfolio resides in texas , the company’s remaining assets are far - flung through its control of 265 stores in canada , more than 70 from its 2014 acquisition of the nice n easy chain in upstate new york , and operations of crossamerica partners lp , a master limited partnership ( mlp ) with headquarters in allentown , pa . , that is engaged in wholesale distribution of motor fuels . in addition , cst brands also owns the 170 - store flash foods inc . based in waycross , ga .

cst responded by forming a special committee of independent directors to oversee the process , forging agreements with activist shareholders jcp management and engine capital lp to changes on the company’s board of directors .

the merger is expected to close in early 2017 , according to the release . it is subject to the approval of cst’s shareholders and regulators in the u . s . and canada .

" it is a great day for our investors , our employees and , above all , for our customers . cst is the fourth - largest network of convenience stores and fuel retailing in

crossamerica partners lp closed on the purchase of all of the outstanding shares of hudson , wis . - based erickson oil products inc . and certain related assets for $ 85 million , subject to certain post - closing adjustments . erickson operates 64 convenience stores in minnesota , michigan , wisconsin and south dakota , with a concentration in the twin cities . crossamerica intends to operate the freedom valu convenience stores , but expects to transfer the operation of certain sites over time to cst brands inc . , the parent company of crossamerica’s general partner .

acquiring cst also gives couche - tard a leg up in the convenience store industry’s shift toward in - store sales of fresh food . under lubel’s leadership , cst sought to insulate itself from volatile gas prices and falling cigarette sales by increasingly offering freshly prepared food items and groceries at its convenience stores and unveiled a separate brand , corner store market , specifically focusing on fresh food .

iridian asset management , vanguard , american century and pennant capital are the top four shareholders of cst , according to filings with the securities and exchange commission . bofa merrill lynch is serving as lead financial advisor and j . p . morgan chase is also serving as financial advisor to cst . wachtell , lipton , rosen & katz and stikeman elliott are the company ' s legal advisors .

cst employs more than 14 , 000 team members at more than 2 , 000 locations throughout the southwestern united states , georgia , florida , new york and eastern canada . its u . s . banners are corner stores , nice n easy grocery shoppes , and flash foods . in canada , cst is the exclusive provider of ultramar fuel and its dépanneur du coin and corner stores .

since then , cst fetched a very lucrative return from 7 - eleven inc . and its subsidiary sei fuel services , selling 79 locations —all but three sites in california—for $ 408 million in may .

" we look forward to welcoming cst and crossamerica to the couche - tard family , " said brian hannasch , couche - tard ' s president and ceo . " cst is an excellent company and is well positioned in the southwestern united states with an important presence in texas , georgia , in the u . s . southeast region , new york and eastern canada . with this transaction we would strategically strengthen our positioning in both the ' sun belt ' and the east coast of north america . our teams are looking forward to meeting cst customers and welcoming them into the couche - tard family . "

cst had been on a shopping spree since its spinoff , issuing new debt to finance its ambitious growth plans . the convenience store operator acquired $ 300 million of fresh debt with the february purchase of flash foods , a georgia - based convenience store chain with 165 stores . that month , a cst subsidiary snatched up wisconsin - based erickson oil products and its 64 stores in the upper midwest . last year , cst bought new york - based nice n easy grocery shoppes ’s 77 stores and crossamerica partners bought 22 convenience stores in san antonio and austin from houston - based landmark industries in early 2015 .

the transaction also represents a premium of approximately 61 percent since may 1 , 2013 , the last date prior to regular way trading of cst following the company ' s spin off from valero energy corp .

the efforts by cst seemed to pay off . the convenience store operator made $ 164 million from merchandise and services during the first quarter of this year , a 2 . 5 percent boost from $ 160 million earned during the same period in 2016 . meanwhile , cst made $ 112 million from fuel sales during the three - month period ended march 31 compared with $ 120 million during the same timeframe last year .

cst’s gross profit from sales of merchandise and services in the u . s . and canada jumped 24 percent to $ 182 million during the second quarter , compared to $ 147 million during the same period in 2015 . gross profit for fuel sales , including sales made by cst’s subsidiary crossamerica partners lp , rose to $ 134 million during the second quarter — or 14 percent more than the $ 118 million last year .

executives for both companies view the sale as a major in - road for couche - tard to establish a larger footprint for its circle k chain in the southeast , especially in texas where cst runs 648 stores .

the $ 48 . 53 offering price also is 3 percent above cst’s closing price as of last monday , hours before the wall street journal reported that couche - tard was the likely winning bidder for the san antonio company .

the boards of both companies unanimously agreed to the sale . couche - tard plans to rebrand cst’s stores under the circle k logo and to establish a business unit in san antonio with shared service operations after the acquisition closes .

san antonio , texas - based cst operates 1 , 146 convenience stores and retail fuel stations in the united states . the convenience stores operate primarily under the corner store banner , while the fuel stations generally use the valero brand .

crossamerica partners lp , headquartered in allentown , pa , is a leading wholesale distributor of motor fuels and owner and lessee of real estate used in the retail distribution of motor fuels . formed in 2012 , the company distributes fuel to over 1 , 050 locations and owns or leases more than 625 sites in sixteen states : pennsylvania , new jersey , ohio , florida , new york , massachusetts , kentucky , new hampshire , maine , tennessee , maryland , delaware , west virginia , virginia , illinois and indiana . the company is affiliated with several major oil brands , including exxonmobil , bp , shell , chevron , sunoco , valero , gulf and citgo . crossamerica ranks as one of exxonmobil ' s largest distributors by fuel volume in the united states and in the top 10 for many additional brands . for additional information , please visit urltoken ( formerly urltoken ) .

couche - tard plans to run its largest u . s . operation from cst’s former 559 , 258 - square - foot headquarters at 19500 bulverde road on the north side , which will manage the texas stores including 170 in san antonio .

cst sought the sale after two activist investors — engine capital lp in new york and houston - based jcp investment management — muscled their way onto the board in march and pushed the company to seek “strategic alternatives” to boost its stockholder value .

under lubel’s leadership , cst sought to insulate itself from volatile gas prices and falling cigarette sales by increasingly offering freshly prepared food items and groceries at its convenience stores and unveiled a separate brand , corner store market , specifically focusing on fresh food .

" i have always thought that in our industry ' size matters ' , whether that be for purchasing , logistics , best practices or for becoming famous for our product categories , " said alain bouchard , founder and executive chairman of the board of directors , couche - tard . " the addition of cst ' s exceptional people and its strategic assets takes us one step further towards all these goals . i look forward to welcoming the cst and crossamerica teams onboard into our growing company . "

that strategy weighed down cst’s stock and prompted s & p global ratings to warn the company earlier this year of a possible downgrade in its credit rating . s & p revised its creditwatch implications to “positive” from “developing” on news of the sale .

in recent months , cst had been reshaping itself to emphasize sales of groceries and fresh food over fuel through its corner store market concept , a move intended to insulate the company from volatility in the oil and gas industry and declining cigarette sales .

the efforts by cst seemed to pay off . the convenience store operator made $ 164 million from merchandise and services during the first quarter of this year , a 2 . 5 percent boost from $ 160 million earned during the same period in 2016 .

two sources told csp daily news that while cst is intent to sell the entire network to a single buyer , if it cannot obtain a satisfactory price , it could divest the canadian and new york assets and the flash foods portfolio in separate transactions .

the newly minted company is the second - largest publicly traded convenience retailer in north america , with 1 , 900 outlets in the u . s . and canada . the company will trade on the new york mercantile exchange under the ticker cst starting thursday .

despite selling up to 71 cst - branded corner store locations in the united states , including some in texas , couche - tard will be adding over 1 , 300 new sites to its vast catalogue , which will now total nearly 14 , 000 stores worldwide .

cst also controls the general partner of crossamerica partners lp , owns 100 percent of its incentive distribution rights and holds a significant equity investment in it . crossamerica distributes branded and unbranded road transportation fuel to more than 1 , 100 locations in the u . s .

as part of the merger , couche - tard will sell off some of cst’s canadian operations to parkland fuel corp . for $ 750 million after the merger is complete . couche - tard expects to finance it with its available cash and new and existing loans .

it’s unclear how exactly cst’s corporate presence in san antonio and executive team will be affected by the sale . the san antonio - based company , which operates the corner store brand of convenience stores , currently leases about 83 , 000 square feet of office space at 100 valero way , for its corporate headquarters . cst plans to move into its new 559 , 258 - square - foot headquarters at 19500 bulverde road , which it paid $ 43 million to acquire in 2014 , within the next three weeks , lubel said .

in march , under pressure from investors , cst launched a strategic review of assets that included a possible sale . suitors at the time included couche - tard , 7 - eleven parent seven & i , marathon petroleum , oxxo or a private - equity firm .

cst was spun off from valero in may 2013 and performed strongly in its brief life on the new york stock exchange as it used acquisitions to increase its footprint , building a dominant operation across the southeast u . s . and in states like texas , georgia and new york .

“in cst , we acquire a company with strategic value that will efficiently complement our network , ” couche - tard ceo brian hannasch said in a statement . “we bring in great new locations as well as expertise and experience which are likely to allow us to venture into new opportunities . ”

" after the board ' s comprehensive review of strategic alternatives to enhance stockholder value , we are pleased to reach this agreement with couche - tard , which we expect to provide immediate and compelling value to our stockholders , " said kim lubel , chairman , ceo and president of cst .

the divestiture order requires act to divest 70 cst fuel stations to empire , and to give empire the option of acquiring an additional location owned by act . the fuel stations to be divested are in arizona , colorado , florida , georgia , louisiana , new mexico , ohio , and texas .

couche - tard expects to finance the all - cash transaction with available cash , its existing credit facilities and a new term loan . the transaction is currently expected to close in early 2017 , subject to the approval of cst ' s stockholders and regulatory approvals in the u . s . and canada .

the other ace up cst’s sleeve is that it owns the real estate for around 79 % of its stores , compared to an average of 52 % for its peer group . that provides the company with the potential to participate in leaseback transactions in the future and reduce the company’s fixed costs in the present .

the companies also announced today that lehigh gas partners lp has changed its name to crossamerica partners lp effective today , october 1 , 2014 . beginning on october 6 th , crossamerica will begin trading under the symbol “capl” and the partnership’s common units will continue to trade on the new york stock exchange . “i believe that the new name , crossamerica partners , truly reflects our combined vision of growth of cst and crossamerica across the north american continent , ” said topper . “collectively , cst and crossamerica distribute fuel to approximately 3 , 000 locations in 27 states from california to virginia , florida to maine , and across eastern canada . ”

three former cst executives — stéphane trudel , senior vice president of growth and strategy ; steve lattig , vice president of integration and development operations ; and jeff truman , vice president of regional retail operations — will run three of couche - tard’s divisions in the u . s . and canada , the company said wednesday .

to meet antitrust requirements from u . s . and canadian regulators , couche - tard agreed to sell cst’s headquarters in montreal along with 159 corner stores in canada to parkland fuel corp . and 70 corner stores in the u . s . — including 19 in texas — to dallas - based fuel distributor empire petroleum partners .