Carbonser Coal Terminal
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The Carbonser Coal Terminal is an operating coal import terminal at the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán, Mexico. The terminal supplies thermal coal for electricity generation at the Presidente Plutarco Elías Calles (Petacalco) power station, Mexico's largest coal-fired power plant.
Location
Background
In 1996, Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) held a public tender for the construction and operation of a private coal terminal at the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas in the State of Michoacán.[1] The proposed terminal was to supply, handle, store, blend, transport, and deliver coal to CFE's recently commissioned Petacalco power station.[1] On November 22, 1996, the Carbonser consortium — formed by Techint (50%) and GMD (50%) — signed a 30-year service contract to operate the terminal.[1] The terminal began operating in April 1999[2] and has been supplying coal to the Petacalco power plant ever since.[3]
The Carbonser terminal can receive vessels of up to 150,000 tons, with a 355-meter-long pier, a draft of 16.5 meters (the deepest in Mexico, according to co-owner Techint), and coal storage capacity of 1.9 million tonnes.[4]
Coal handling capacity
According to the terminal's co-owner GMD, the Carbonser Coal Terminal has an annual coal handling capacity of 6 Mtpa.[5]
Annual coal throughput statistics
The figures below represent tonnes of coal received at the Carbonser terminal during each calendar year. No coal was processed at the terminal during 2021[6], apparently due to the Petacalco power plant's temporary replacement of coal with fuel oil.[7]
- 2014 5.7 million tonnes[8]
- 2015 6.0 million tonnes[8]
- 2016 6.0 million tonnes[9]
- 2017 7.0 million tonnes[10]
- 2018 6.6 million tonnes[11]
- 2019 5.6 million tonnes[1]
- 2020 2.5 million tonnes[12]
- 2021 0 tonnes[6]
- 2022 1.9 million tonnes[13]
- 2023 3.4 million tonnes[14]
- 2024 3.9 million tonnes[15]
- 2025 2.0 million tonnes[3]
Project Details
- Operator: Carbonser, S.A. de C.V.[5][16]
- Location: Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, Mexico[5]
- Annual Capacity (Tonnes): 6 million tonnes per annum[5][2]
- Status: Operating[3]
- Start Year: 1999[5][2]
- Type: Imports[5]
- Coal source: Australia[17][18], Colombia[17], Canada[17], United States[17]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Reporte Anual 2019 (pp 11, 60)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2020-04-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Informe Detallado de la Auditoría de Desempeño: Terminal de Carbón Petacalco". ASF (Auditoría Superior de la Federación). 2000. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Reporte Anual 2025 (p 11)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2026-04-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Recorde de todos os tempos: 1.000 barcos para Carbonser". Techint. 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Infraestructura - Energía y Puertos: Terminal de recibo y manejo de carbón en Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán (Carbonser)". GMD (Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo). Retrieved 2026-09-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Reporte Anual 2021 (p 71)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2022-04-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Black Rock demanda a CFE en NY". Oil & Gas Magazine. 2024-09-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Lázaro Cárdenas: Operación de carga en terminal de carbón crece 5% en 2015". AAPA Seaports. 2016-02-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reporte Anual 2016 (p 9)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2017-04-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reporte Anual 2017 (p 11)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2018-04-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reporte Anual 2018 (p 11)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2019-04-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reporte Anual 2020 (p 12)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2021-04-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reporte Anual 2022 (p 12)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2023-05-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reporte Anual 2023 (p 11)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2024-05-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reporte Anual 2024 (p 12)" (PDF). Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo. 2025-04-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Terminal: Terminal de Carbón Instalaciones / Cesionarios: Carbonser, S.A de .C.V". Mapa Portuario.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Diego Badillo (June 13, 2020). "Central carboeléctrica de Petacalco: la bonanza hecha cenizas". El Economista.
- ↑ "CFE adquiere carbón para Petacalco; elevará la producción". Energía A Debate. 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
