Page 12 - LatAmOil Week 43 2020

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The existing terminal is capable of importing LNG but not exporting it (Photo: Vinci Construction Projets)

The company also said that it still expected the Salina Cruz project
Mexican government to award it an export Many companies around the world have delayed
permit soon. The company cannot take a final decisions about building new LNG export ter-
investment decision (FID) on the ECA project, minals since the beginning of the coronavirus
which is expected to cost about $1.9bn, until it (COVID-19) pandemic, which triggered a sharp
meets this milestone. decline in energy demand. Earlier this month,
“We continue to work closely with the federal though, the Mexican government announced a
government to obtain the export permit and ... $1.2bn tender for the construction of a gas liq-
[take a] final investment decision shortly,” Mena uefaction plant in the southern state of Oaxaca,
was quoted as saying by Reuters. on the Pacific coast.
The terminal would become IEnova’s first The proposed terminal, which is being devel-
LNG export facility. The company’s existing oped by Salina Cruz LNG, would be capable of
LNG terminal, which began operating in 2008, turning out 500,000 tpy of LNG and would use
is only used to import LNG. existing marine infrastructure in the port of
According to previous reports, the first phase Salina Cruz. The project is targeting a start date
of the ECA facility will be able to turn out 2.4mn of 2023 and will mainly serve Mexico’s domestic
tonnes per year of LNG. The export terminal’s gas market.
capacity may eventually rise to 12mn tpy. Salina Cruz LNG hopes to secure feedstock
IEnova’s management team has high hopes for the plant via an existing pipeline from Ver-
for the new terminal. Experts believe that ECA’s acruz. This link, operated by the national gas
Pacific Coast location could give it an advantage transmission system operator CENAGAS, han-
over export facilities on the US Gulf Coast with dles production from offshore fields in the Gulf
respect to accessing key markets in Asia. of Mexico. ™

COLOMBIA
ANH authorises 16 companies

to bid in third licensing round

COLOMBIA’S state oil regulator, the National companies had already been pre-authorised to
Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), said last week submit bids. As for the remaining four, only one
that it had authorised 16 companies to bid for more, a subsidiary of Maurel & Prom (France),
the four onshore blocks included in the upcom- had secured approval, it noted.
ing third licensing round. ANH’s statement did not name the three dis-
In a statement, ANH said that 19 companies qualified investors. Documents posted on the
had applied for permission to participate in the agency’s website indicate that the list of author-
bidding process. Of these 19, it explained, 15 ised bidders included six Colombian companies.

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 43 29•October•2020