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.
According to the Panama Canal Authority, NG Power only has permission to build a 130 MW plant, so it will have to go through a new procedure if it expects to develop the 670 MW plant, as planned from the beginning.
The permit requested by Panama NG Power and approved by the Canal Board in 2011, is for two generators of up to 45 MW each and a third steam generator of up to 40 MW, which together total 130 MW.
The electric power generation plant based on liquefied natural gas has started operating in Colón, Panama, with an installed capacity of 381 MW.
The plant, whose construction beganin May 2016, has three generators, three gas turbines and one steam turbine, giving it a total installed capacity of 381 MW.
"...The AES Colón project consists of two stages.The first is the LNG plant and the second comprises a storage tank that is currently 87% complete and is expected to come into operation next year in 2019, explained Miguel Bolinaga, president of AES in Panama, a mixed capital company in which the Panamanian State has a 50.5% share."
After requesting an extension to postpone the date of entry into operations, authorities at AES Panama confirmed that the plant will begin operations on September 1.
Construction of the plant started in May 2016 and will have three generators, three gas turbines and one steam turbine, reaching a total installed capacity of 381 MW.
The plant that AES Panama is building in Colón will start operating in August 2018 and not in May, as originally planned.
The company requested an extension from the National Public Services Authority (ASEP) to modify the commercial operation deadline, "... due to the complications that occurred in the construction of the transmission line which, according to the original design, incurred into lands belonging to the Waked Group."
Panama NG Power has been given authorization to postpone until 2020 the start-up of operations of the natural gas-based generation plant to be built in Cristóbal, in the province of Colón.
The energy supply contracts signed between Panama NG Power and the energy distributors Edemet, Ensa and Edechi were modified so that the start-up of the natural gas plant could be postponed until 2020.
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 ASEP has reactivated the license granted to Panama NG Power to build and operate a 670 MW generating plant based on natural gas in Cristobal, province of Colon.
The licenseinitially granted in 2011, was canceledduring the current administration of the Public Services Authority (ASEP) because of delays in delivering information on Panama NG Power's project financing. Now,"... The appeal on constitutional guarantees granted by the Supreme Court to the company has forced the Asep to declare the license valid."
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.
The government is working on a draft bill to regulate the distribution of energy generated from natural gas in the country.
At a time when investments in power generation projects based on natural gas in Panama and in the region are increasing, the head of the Panamanian Ministry of Energy has confirmed to Laestrella.com.pa that they are preparing the basis for a regulatory framework for the distribution of energy generated from gas.
The construction of the energy generation plant using natural gas by AES Colon will be financed with a syndicated loan from the CABEI, Banistmo, Bancolombia and other banks.
Those involved in the syndicated loan are Banistmo, Bancolombia, the Central American Economic Integration Banco General and Global Bank, reports Capital.com.pa. The plant, which will have the capacity to generate up to 381 MW of energy from natural gas, was announced in 2015 by the company AES Colon, who was awarded the contract to supply 350 MW of power.
The company Engie has also announced the construction of a plant with storage capacity of 180,000 cubic meters for the generation of 350 MW.
From a statement issued by Engie:
ENGIE announces the signature of a binding Memorandum of Understanding with Gas Natural Atlántico, under which ENGIE will supply up to 400,000 tonnes of LNG per year from 2018 on a 10-year period at Costa Norte LNG Terminal in the Colon Province, Panama.
The beginning of studies has been announced for the development of a natural gas terminal and a wind farm in areas under the responsibility of the Panama Canal Authority.
An article on Prensa.com reports that "... The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is preparing a study for what will be a Natural Gas terminal in the areas adjacent to the waterway ... Canal Administrator Jorge Quijano told the News Agency of Panama (ANPanamá) that they already have a contribution given by a US government department to finance the study, the figure is around US $800,000. "
AES has announced that in early 2016 it will start construction of a 381 MW power plant based on natural gas in the province of Colon.
The power generated at the plant will be distributed according to the terms of the newly awarded contract for 350 MW to Gas Natural Atlántico, a subsidiary of AES Corporation. Although the contract is for 350 MW, the plant will have capacity to generate 381 MW.
The National Public Services Authority has revoked the final license granted to Panama NG Power for the construction and operation of a power plant in the province of Colón.
From the order given by the National Authority for Public Services in Panama (ASEP):
It is resolved:
"... FIRST: DECLARE CANCELED the Final License granted to the company NG POWER PANAMA, SA, registered in the Public Registry on Listing 691,187 of Document 1725036 of the Microfilm Section (Mercantile), by Resolution No.7333 AN-Elec of 6 May 2014, as amended by Resolution No.7369 AN-Elec on May 21, 2014, to develop a project for thermal generation using natural gas for electricity generation, called Telfers, to be located in the town of Cristobal, in the district and province of Colon, with an installed capacity of 670 MW. "