LNG regasification plant to get first shipment next week

Mexico City (Platts)--9 Mar 2012/213 pm EST/1913 GMT

After a seven-month delay, an initial shipment of LNG from Repsol's Camisea project in Peru will be delivered late next week to Mexico's newest regasification terminal at Manzanillo on the Pacific Coast, the state of Colima said Friday.

"We've been told there are going to be a couple of shipments a month at this stage, and the first is due to arrive on March 16," Alejandro Carbajal, a government spokesman, said Friday. "Then, on March 28, there will be a formal inauguration ceremony for the regasification plant," he added.

The 500,000 Mc/d regasification plant, built and owned by a consortium of Samsung and Mitsui, each with a stake of 37.5%, and Korea Gas, with 25%, is the third of its type in Mexico. The capacity owner is the Federal Electricity Commission.

Construction of the plant was completed early of last September, and CFE has not explained the delay in its start-up. Other sources, however, have said the main problem was a lack of planning.

They cite the fact that a channel into the lagoon meant to provide harbor for the LNG ships had to be dredged, and that took much longer than had been foreseen. In addition, a railroad and a highway around the lagoon had to be re-routed.

The regasification plant will form an energy hub for much of western Mexico. It will also mark the arrival of the CFE as a wholesaler of natural gas to rival the current domination of the state-owned oil company, Pemex.

A 300 km natural gas pipeline has already been built between Manzanillo and Guadalajara by TransCanada at a cost of about $348 million.

Guadalajara is Mexico's second largest city, with a population of some 4 million inhabitants.

Several power plants, one in Manzanillo, the other in Guadalajara, also will use gas from the regasification facility.

--Ron Buchanan, newsdesk@platts.com

President Felipe Calderon will be visiting Manzanillo to inaugurate the federal government project

A day at Immigration

I went to Manzanillo Wednesday to do my yearly Visa renewal and here's a few fotos from my new IPhone, that lost Internet BTW. Smart phones are cool until they mess up your account. I stopped by Telcel on the way back but I still don't have service.

Anyway, I always plan on a couple of hours in the Immigration office so there's time to walk around an get a few fotos of the port activities.    The new office entrance is just past this sign to the right instead of inside the main building like before.   Got there about 10am after trying to find a place to get my fotos.  One Farmacia Guadalajara's machine was broken, the other no people to serve you and the girl that works in the Kodak place in Commercial Mexicana was not there yet.   No problem I was told, bring your fotos in when you pick up your visa in 3 weeks.

After paying my renewal fee at the Military bank I returned and was the last one out at about 12:30.   Last year when I payed there the payroll clerk from the Navy base was getting cash for payday.  Must have been 30+ people in line waiting well over an hour.   This time not so bad.  You can pay that fee at any bank if you get caught in that situation.  I payed downtown a few years ago while waiting for fotos.

Sign on the Port Offices

Ship being loaded with containers

An hour later the same ship leaving port

View of downtown Manzanillo from the small pier near the port

Iphone fotos are not bad but there is no lens adjustment

Another facelift for the Manzanillo Airport

Took 3 people to the airport last weekend and it's the first time I've been there in over a year. Not a lot of changes but new paint and a new marquee moved down to the departures door.

The airport (Playa de Oro International - ZLO) is located about a half hour north of Manzanillo near the Jalisco border. Like most airports in Mexico the only transportation leaving is by taxi or rental car, no bus service.