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Costa Norte LNG Terminal, also known as the AES Colón LNG Terminal, is an operating LNG terminal in Colón, Panama.
Location
The satellite photo below shows the location of the terminal in Colón, Panama.
Project Details
- Parent: AES Corporation (65%), Grupo Linda (20%), Grupo Estrella (15%)[1][2][3][4]
- Location: Colón, Panama
- Coordinates: 9.339968, -79.907761 (exact)
- Capacity: 1.5 mtpa[3][4][5]
- Status: Operating
- Type: Import
- Start Year: 2018[3][4][6][7]
Note: mtpa = million tonnes per year; bcfd = billion cubic feet per day
Background
The Costa Norte LNG terminal is an operating LNG import terminal in Colón, Panama. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the terminal took place in May 2016.[8] It was brought online in 2018 as Panama's first LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal, and Central America first regasification and storage facility. The terminal was developed in conjunction with the adjacent AES Colón power station, a 381 MW combined cycle power plant.[6]
In 2012, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli signed a law that would increase the role of natural gas in Panama's economy. The law provided incentives for the promotion of natural gas projects that supply local power plants for energy generation, increasing the likelihood of new natural gas project proposals in the future.[9]
In May 2017, French energy company Engie and U.S.-based AES agreed to enter into a joint venture to market and sell the gas imported to the Costa Norte LNG terminal. The terminal was designed to have a capacity of 1.5 mtpa, of which almost half was to be used by AES's power plant under construction on the same site, with the rest of the gas to be sold on the open market.[10]
South Korean firm POSCO was awarded the contract to build both the power plant and LNG terminal.[11] Beyond the terminal's primary purpose of providing gas to the on-site power plant, it was designed to be able to power 15 million households and some industry near the Panama Canal and Colón.[12]
In August of 2018, AES inaugurated the terminal along with the adjacent AES Colón power station. The plant and regasification terminal were expected to begin commercial operations on September 1, 2018, and the LNG tank, the largest in the Caribbean, was expected to begin operations on schedule in the second half of 2019.[7]
In October 2019, the terminal started full operations with the inauguration of its storage terminal.[13]
As of September 2021, AES was reportedly considering an expansion of the terminal's regasification and distribution capacities.[14] Plans call for the Costa Norte terminal to begin supplying gas to the nearby Gatún power station upon its completion in 2024.[15]
Ownership
The terminal was originally co-owned by AES Corporation (50.1%) and the Panamanian company Inversiones Bahía, Ltd (49.9%). In September 2021 AES announced that it had acquired Inversiones Bahía's stake and assumed 100% ownership of the project.[16]
In December 2023, AES announced that it had sold 20% of its Panamanian subsidiary AES Colón to Grupo Linda, with an additional 15% being acquired by Grupo Estrella.[1][2] Following the sale, AES retained a 65% stake in AES Colón's assets, including the Costa Norte terminal.[1][2][3][4]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "AES Announces Closing of Previously Announced and New Minority Sell-Downs of LNG Businesses in the Dominican Republic and Panama". PR Newswire. 2023-12-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "AES wraps up stake sale in two LNG terminals". LNG Prime. 2023-12-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "2024 World LNG Report (p 157)". IGU. 2024-06-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "GIIGNL Annual Report 2024 (pp 45, 47)" (PDF). GIIGNL. 2024-06-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Terminal Costa Norte LNG en Panamá se prepara para recibir su primer cargo". GNL Global. April 11, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Inauguran en Panamá primera planta de generación eléctrica con GNL de Centroamérica". AméricaEconomía. August 18, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 AES Announces Inauguration of AES Colón CCGT and Central America’s First LNG Terminal Business Wire, August 17, 2018
- ↑ "Panama breaks ground at its LNG-to-power project". Offshore Energy. May 27, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Panama: Law Encourages Natural Gas Energy, Central America Data, accessed September 2017
- ↑ "ENGIE and AES Agree to Expand their LNG Marketing Partnership to Central America | ENGIE". Engie press release. May 5, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Costa Norte project". BNamericas. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Posco to build power plant and LNG terminal in Panama". NS Energy. February 21, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "AES inaugurates AES Colón LNG storage tank Offshore Energy, Oct. 18, 2019
- ↑ "$80 Million in Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal". Central America Data. September 27, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "GE Secures Combined Cycle Power Plant Equipment Order for Generadora Gatún in Panama | GE News". GE. March 23, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "AES to buy 49.9% stake in AES Colón LNG plant". Offshore Energy. September 14, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
