Empresa Tomza Guatemala S.A. reported that in Nicaragua the government of President Daniel Ortega illegally expropriated and confiscated the company's assets, which together amount to $4 million in investments.
The expropriation process took several years. Tomza executives explained that in 2015 they were granted the permits for the construction of a property located in the municipality of Tipitapa, department of Managua.
The company AES Panama launched its liquefied natural gas storage system in the province of Colon, from where it plans to supply the entire Central American region.
This liquefied natural gas (LNG) distribution system will supply the 381 MW thermal plant located on site, also owned by AES, which began operating in August 2018.
AES and Engie have agreed to create a joint venture to market and sell liquefied natural gas to third parties in Central America.
The new company will use infrastructure of the Costa Norte LNG Terminal, which is currently under construction in Colón, Panama, owned 50/50 by AES and Inversiones Bahia.
The total capacity of Costa Norte LNG Terminal is approximately 1.5 million metric tons per year (mtpa), of which 25% will go to AES Colón's 380 MW combined cycle plant (CCGT), currently under construction at the same site.
The new canal enlarges the volume of ships that transit through it, as well as the opportunities for growth in a country whose economy was already booming.
EDITORIAL
As Jorge Quijano, chief executive of the Panama Canal Authority notes, the new Canal will open up new global trade routes.This is particularly true for cargo which goes through ports in the eastern United States, including those on the Gulf Coast.The opportunity is clear for the transport of liquefied natural gas(LNG), which the United States produces in abundance. According to Martin Houston, co - founder of Tellurian, developer of LNG projects, so far only 7% of tankers carrying LNG to Asia pass through the Panama Canal, a figure that will rise to 80% with the expanded Canal.The reason is clear:"A tanker loaded with liquefied natural gas in the US Gulf Coast and destined for Asian markets could shorten its travel distance by about 5,000 nautical miles."
The 380 MW natural gas plant to be built by AES in Panama promises to change the country's energy matrix, and the way energy is generated and distributed in Central America.
The economic flow that has already started with the construction of the gas plant in the province of Colon will be felt not only in the energy sector in Panama, which could become an energy generating and distribution hub in the region, but also in other productive sectors that will benefit from greater stability in energy costs and generate greater dynamism in logistics and shipping.
President Hernández announced that the country will join an ambitious project which for now has not transcended the good but vague intentions of the Mexican government.
From a statement issued by the presidency of Guatemala:
The president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, announced in Guatemala City that his country will join the pipeline project, whose construction is the result of a bilateral agreement between Guatemala and Mexico.
Two social welfare institutions are considering whether to invest $90 million in gas generation plants to sell electricity to the National Electric Power Company.
In order to cover the increased demand which arises in seasons of highest energy consumption, the National Institute of Retirement and Pensions for Employees and Officials of the Executive Branch (INJUPEMP) and the Honduran Social Security Institute are considering investing in power generation based on gas. The investment would mean allocating about $90 million to the purchase of mobile plants to sell supplies to the National Electric Power Company.
Energy EPM which already has a presence in Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama, has reaffirmed its interest in the region with the opening of another branch.
From a statement issued by EPM Group:
The Board of EPM authorized at its meeting on Tuesday the establishment of a branch of its organization in Costa Rica as part of an internationalization strategy that seeks to explore new business opportunities in the neighboring country, listed as one of EPM's target markets.
The Mexican state oil company PEMEX has announced investments of $1,4 billion in pipeline for natural gas, propane gas and gasoline, and logistics and port facilities in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, 200 km from the border with Guatemala.
From a statement issued by PEMEX:
Pemex presents its Marketing Strategy for the Transístmico Energy Corridor
Companies from the sector are to meet on February 13 in Santo Domingo at a Forum on the panorama for natural gas in the Caribbean.
On Feb. 13 A "Forum on the Panorama for Natural Gas in the Caribbean" will be held in the Dominican Republic. During the event the prospects for natural gas in the Caribbean basin will be analyzed in terms of energy security, economic development and the role of natural gas as a cleaner source of energy for countries in the region.
The U.S. firm could explore in an area next to the exploration site of Britain's BG Group, which has already received a concession from the Government.
The U.S. company Chevron said it still intends to investigate the existence of oil and natural gas in Honduran maritime territory. The company aims to do so in an area adjacent to the place where BG Group has a concession to explore 35,000 square kilometers.
The Mexican government is considering constructing a pipeline and eventually a refinery to supply the region.
Miguel Hakim, Mexican Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, said his country is considering building a refinery and natural gas pipeline which would cross the isthmus and would be an alternative option for generating power at low cost. Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), has $2 billion to invest.
For four years, Britain's BG Group will explore 35,000 square kilometers in the Honduran Caribbean, looking for hydrocarbons.
According to the manager of government relations for the company, Andrew Hepburn, they are waiting for the exploration contract signed by the oil company and the government to be published in the official newspaper La Gaceta.
The region is aiming to group together demand for natural gas in order to make the market more attractive to major companies.
According to René Castro, Minister of Environment and Energy (Minae), the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama, could open the door to greater cooperation from the Government in this area.
Castro said that Costa Rica is looking for the northern giant, which is one step ahead in its research on improving extraction and exploitation of natural gas, to grant it the status of "most favored nation" which would improve product prices for importations.