Altamira Port, TC Energía to Expand SDTT Gas Pipeline

Altamira Port signed a contract with TC Energía to expand the South Texas-Tuxpan gas pipeline (SDTT). The expansion aims to support the growing gas and energy supply demands by dedicating a 4ha area to build a new compression plant, helping to boost Mexico's social and economic development.

The SDTT, which has operated since 2019, supplies gas to power plants in Altamira, Tamaulipas, and distributes natural gas to central Mexico through TC Energía's Tamazunchale pipeline. The company highlights that the SDTT is Mexico's first privately owned marine natural gas pipeline.

TC Energía had previously stated that the SDTT could potentially serve as a gateway to gasify other regions in Mexico. Developing new connections and pipelines could significantly increase the gas the pipeline can supply to other areas, such as the country's southeastern region. TC Enegía adds that the gasoduct would provide greater access to a reliable and competitively priced gas over the coming decades.

The announcement, made yesterday by the Altamira Port in its Facebook account, mentions that the SDTT consists of about 700km of underwater pipelines and 70km of onshore pipelines, facilitating the transportation of 2.60 million ft3 per day (MMSCFD) of natural gas from Brownsville, Texas, to Tamaulipas and Veracruz.

The Altamira Compression Station (ECA) covers about 5ha and features three turbo-compression units, each with a power of 34MW, handling the total natural gas flow. Additional natural gas compression is required to support the growing gas and energy supply demands, says the company. To address this need, it is building a new compression station (ECA 2) on an adjacent 4ha site, working with the existing ECA.

The future ECA 2 will have a primary turbo-compression package consisting of two turbine-compressor sets and their cooling system, which will be essential for the expansion. ECA 2 will be interconnected with the existing one, managing the total volume of natural gas transported by the SDTT.

The contract signing ceremony was held on Dec. 20, 2023, at the ASIPONA Altamira facilities.