AES inaugurates first liquified natural gas terminal in Central America
The AES Corporation inaugurated Friday AES Colón, a 381-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant and the first liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal in Central America.
AES expects the plant and regasification terminal to begin commercial operations on Sept. 1. The LNG tank is scheduled to begin operations in the second half of 2019. The combined facility represents a $1.15 billion investment.
AES Colón will initially use 20 Trillion Thermal British thermal units (TBtu) annually, with U.S. gas exports totaling roughly $140 million. The LNG terminal has a capacity of 80 TBtus and the total potential for more than half a billion dollars per year in U.S. gas exports. The 60 TBtus of excess capacity will allow for distribution across Central American countries for electricity generation, commercial and industrial customers, transportation and bunkering, AES said.
“The inauguration of AES Colón is a significant step toward diversifying the energy mix in Central America and the Caribbean, introducing cleaner alternatives in Panama and beyond,” AES President and CEO Andrés Gluski said. “We expect that the entry of low-cost, U.S. LNG will transform the Central American energy sector, much as it has in the Dominican Republic. This facility is the latest example of how innovation is driving a cleaner energy future on a global scale.”
Construction of AES Colón was completed in 27 months and created approximately 2,500 jobs. Once it is operating, the facility will provide about 200 jobs.
