CRE Grants New Fortress Permits for Tamaulipas Power Plants

In February 2023, regulator CRE granted New Fortress Energy (NFE) two permits for electricity generation. With these permits, NFE can now generate electricity at two of its power plants, one powered by natural gas and the other by diesel, in Tamaulipas.

The power plants will have a combined capacity of over 110MW, generating an estimated 435GWh of electricity annually. The first plant will have a capacity of 47.96MW and comprises 3 turbo generators as well as 5 motor generators. The plant is expected to consume 74.08MMcf of gas and 103.2m³ of diesel annually while generating 217.23GWh. The second plant will have a capacity of 63.28MW and comprises 3 turbogenerators and 16 motor generators, consuming 74.08MMcf of gas and 307.2m³ of diesel annually while generating an estimated 217.82GWh.

Christopher Guinta, Finance Director, New Fortress Energy, announced earlier this March that the company is close to finishing the construction of its Fast LNG (FLNG) facility in Mexico, expected to come online in May 2023. The plant is scheduled to start producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in July 2023. NFE is working to build five more platforms, three of which will be deployed in Mexico: two in Altamira and one in Lakach.

FLGN Altamira is located in the Gulf of Mexico, 25km away from the Altamira port in Tamaulipas. The project involves the installation of two liquefaction systems, FLNG 1 and FLNG 2, each with an operational capacity of 1.4MMTPA for a total nominal capacity of 2.8MMTPA. 

Moreover, NFE and PEMEX have a contract to produce LNG at the previously-abandoned Lakach field. New Fortress stated that it would produce natural gas at Lakach and would be entitled to purchase, at a contracted rate, sufficient volumes for its floating LNG production unit while PEMEX would sell the remaining natural gas volumes and all produced condensate to its customers. “Pursuant to the agreements, NFE will provide upstream services to PEMEX whereby NFE produces natural gas and condensate in exchange for a fee for every unit of production delivered to PEMEX. The fee is based on a contractual formula that resembles industry-standard gross profit-sharing agreements between the upstream service provider, NFE, and the owner of the hydrocarbons, PEMEX,” reported NFE.