Altamira LNG Terminal
| Part of the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
Altamira LNG Terminal, also known as Terminal de GNL de Altamira, is an operating LNG import terminal in Mexico.
Location
Table 1: Location details
| Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Altamira LNG Terminal | Altamira Port, Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico[1] | 22.494775, -97.89468 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the terminal:
Project Details
Table 2: Infrastructure details
| Name | Facility type | Status | Capacity | Total terminal capacity | Offshore | Associated infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altamira LNG Terminal | import[2][3] | operating[4][5] | 5.7 mtpa[3] | 5.7 mtpa | False | Altamira V power station; Qatar, Nigeria, Egypt, United States, Trinidad and Tobago[6][7][8] |
Table 3: Cost
| Name | Facility type | Cost | Total known terminal costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altamira LNG Terminal | import[2][3] | – | – |
Financing
No financing data available.
Table 4: Project timeline
| Name | Facility type | Status | Proposal year | FID year | Construction year | Operating year | Inactive year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altamira LNG Terminal | import[2][3] | operating[4][5] | – | – | – | 2006[4][5] | – |
Ownership
Table 5: Ownership
| Name | Facility type | Status | Owners | Parent companies | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altamira LNG Terminal | import[2][3] | operating[4][5] | Enagás SA [40%]; Vopak [60%][4][5][4][5] | Vopak [60.0%]; Enagás SA [40.0%] | – |
Background
Altamira LNG Terminal is an LNG import terminal in Tamaulipas, Mexico.[9]
The Altamira LNG Terminal, located on the Gulf coast of Mexico, was the first LNG terminal in Mexico and commenced operations in August 2006. The terminal was built to supply gas needs for power plants powering the industrial sector in Mexico's Northeast, including the Altamira V power station.[10] The Terminal was initially a joint venture project of Royal Dutch Shell (50%), Total (25%), and Mitsui & Co (25%).[11]
When the terminal was built, its LNG imports came from Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, and Egypt.[12]
In 2011, Shell, Total, and Mitsui all sold their shares in the LNG terminal to the Dutch company Vopak (60%) and Spain's Enagas (40%). The Altamira LNG project consists of two 5.5 million cubic foot LNG storage tanks, regasification facilities with 500 million cubic feet per day of peak sendout capability, and pipelines to connect to the existing pipeline system in Tamaulipas.[13]
In April 2017, natural gas imports from the United States fell to their lowest level since June 2015 due to maintenance on the NET pipeline. Due to the temporary fall of imports via pipeline, Mexico's state-owned petroleum company, Pemex, began importing LNG at the Altamira terminal from Louisiana to make up for the shortfall while the pipeline was down.[14]
In 2023, New Fortress Energy announced that it had entered into a non-binding MOU with Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission to develop and operate up to four 1.4 mtpa gas liquefaction units as part of the New Fortress Altamira LNG export project, to be located on the same site as the existing Altamira LNG import terminal.[15] However, as of August 2026, with New Fortress Energy experiencing financial difficulties, the future of this export project ― identified by the company as FLNG 2-5 ― remained unclear.[16]
Import Terminal Capacity
GIIGNL's 2026 annual report listed a regasification capacity of 5.7 mtpa for the Altamira LNG Terminal[17], while the International Gas Union's 2026 World LNG Report listed a capacity of 5.4 mtpa.[18]
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of LNG terminals, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ https://maps.app.goo.gl/ASXoGfXbXw3Q3YwQA.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://www.igu.org/igu-reports/2025-world-lng-report?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22570706637&gbraid=0AAAAA9kOlQjyt6hUkZGX_RurEkcHXmNXD&gclid=CjwKCAjwi-DBBhA5EiwAXOHsGaWVYYsRaJy3-JGSjWw0q0CXTzrVa1-hCgvxwPR541313mP7dAIk5RoCum0QAvD_BwE.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 (PDF) https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67bdb9fc993751711c5f54fd/685278fda1e68e3b4324e2cf_0432365c1c5b8fb129ae8055cca8cb9b_%23GIIGNL%20-%20Livre%202025-20250610-Simple.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 (PDF) https://giignl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GIIGNL-2024-Annual-Report-1.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 https://www.igu.org/resources/2024-world-lng-report/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) http://sinat.semarnat.gob.mx/dgiraDocs/documentos/tamp/estudios/2004/28TM2004G0001.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://naturalgasintel.com/news/altamira-terminal-receives-second-lng-cargo-2/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/mi/country-industry-forecasting.html?id=106599033.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Altamira LNG Terminal, A Barrel Full, accessed March 2021
- ↑ "Datos Generales del Proyecto: Gasoducto de Interconexión Terminal de GNL con CCC Altamira V" (PDF). SEMARNAT. 2004.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Altamira LNG Terminal, Mexico, Hydrocarbons Technology, accessed March 2021
- ↑ Altamira on Track for 2006 Startup, Shell News, October 26, 2005
- ↑ Mexico's Altamira LNG Terminal Changes Hands, Natural Gas Intelligence, June 6, 2011
- ↑ "U.S.-Mexico natgas pipeline exports fall while LNG deliveries rise". Reuters. April 18, 2017.
- ↑ "New Fortress Energy Inc: Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (p 60)". US Securities & Exchange Commission. 2024-02-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "New Fortress Energy Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2026". US Securities & Exchange Commission. 2026-05-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ GIIGNL Annual Report 2026, GIIGNL.
- ↑ IGU 2026 World LNG Report, IGU, July 7, 2026.
