GLNG: Two Mexican LNG projects make advances

Two Mexican LNG projects have taken steps forward over the past week.
On March 31, it was announced that TotalEnergies had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sempra Infrastructure, a subsidiary of US-based Sempra, on the purchase of a share of future production from the planned Vista Pacífico LNG plant. Then, on April 1, China’s Guangzhou Development Group (GDG) said it had signed a long-term supply agreement for LNG from an export terminal that Houston-based MPL intends to build at Puerto Libertad in Mexico’s Sonora State.
The moves signal a likely future expansion of Mexico’s liquefaction capacity. Sempra is already in the process of building the first phase of the Energía Costa Azul (ECA) LNG terminal, which will consist of a single-train liquefaction facility due to come online in 2024. The company is now pursuing development of Vista Pacífico LNG, which is slated for construction in the port of Topolobampo.
Sempra did not divulge the projected value of the Vista Pacífico LNG deal with TotalEnergies but did note that the French company was seeking to contract about a third of the facility’s future LNG output. It also said that TotalEnergies may acquire a minority share in the plant, though it did not specify its size.
GDG, for its part, said its subsidiary Guangzhou Development Natural Gas Trading had agreed to buy 2mn tonnes per year (tpy) of LNG over a period of 20 years from Mexico Pacific LNG Markets, a subsidiary of MPL.
Previously, MPL has said it wants to build the Puerto Libertad LNG plant in three stages. The first stage would involve the construction of a 4.7mn tpy production train, plus a storage tank and a marine loading jetty, while the second would involve the construction of another production train of the same size and another storage facility. The third calls for the construction of a third production train of the same size.
MPL hopes to take a final investment decision (FID) on the first two stages of the project in the second half of 2022, according to GDG.