Officials in neighboring Sonora, Mexico, announced that plans for a liquefied natural gas facility in a small town on the Sea of Cortez are finally moving forward — more than two years after the project was approved by U.S. authorities in 2018.
Texas-based Mexico Pacific Limited is set to begin construction of a liquefied natural gas plant in Puerto Libertad, Sonora. The liquefication and storage facility will receive natural gas exported from the United States, then load ships bound for markets in Asia and South America.
"And with that we can say that our states is staring the year with good news," said Luis Nunez, a spokesperson for the state’s Economic Reactivation Plan. "After two years of negotiations, Mexico Pacific Limited's project in Puerto Libertad has been solidified, and that will allow the construction of a liquefied natural gas plant, with infrastructure to load ships and transatlantic vessels and supply markets in Asia and South America."
Nunez said about 2,000 people will be employed during the facility’s construction phase, and once in operation, the plant will create 200-400 formal jobs for the duration of the project, which is expected to last at least 20 years.
If all goes to plan, leaders say gas could start shipping worldwide from the Sonoran coastal town by 2025.
