Coatzacoalcos LNG Terminal (CFE)
| Part of the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
Coatzacoalcos LNG Terminal (CFE), also known as Terminal de GNL de Coatzacoalcos (CFE), is a shelved (inferred 2 y) LNG export terminal in Mexico.
Location
Table 1: Location details
| Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Coatzacoalcos LNG Terminal (CFE) | Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico[1][2] | 18.119088, -94.406895 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coatzacoalcos LNG Terminal (CFE) | export[3] | shelved (inferred 2 y)[4] | 4.6 mtpa | 4.6 mtpa | False | Southeast Gateway Gas Pipeline[3][5] |
Table 3: Cost
| Name | Facility type | Cost | Total known terminal costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coatzacoalcos LNG Terminal (CFE) | export[3] | US$4,500,000,000 | US$4,500,000,000 |
Financing
No financing data available.
Table 4: Project timeline
| Name | Facility type | Status | Proposal year | FID year | Construction year | Operating year | Inactive year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coatzacoalcos LNG Terminal (CFE) | export[3] | shelved (inferred 2 y)[4] | – | – | – | – | 2025 (shelved)[4] |
Ownership
Table 5: Ownership
| Name | Facility type | Status | Owners | Parent companies | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coatzacoalcos LNG Terminal (CFE) | export[3] | shelved (inferred 2 y)[4] | CFEnergía SA de CV [100%][1] | Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE [100.0%] | CFEnergía[1] |
Background
In April 2022, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced plans to build an LNG export hub in the port of Coatzacoalcos, on the Gulf of Mexico in Veracruz state.[6][7] The proposed terminal, with an estimated cost of US$4-US$5 billion, would liquefy natural gas for shipment to European markets.[8]
In late November 2022, CFEnergía, the fuel marketing arm of Mexico's state-owned electrical utility CFE, issued a call for expressions of interest in developing the project[9]; as of mid-2023, results had yet to be published.[10] A June 2023 report from ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services) suggested that the terms established by CFE in its solicitation of interest could be challenging, as could an adequate supply of feedgas.[10]
In December 2022, Oil & Gas Journal reported that CFE would use gas imported from the US via TC Energy's Southeast Gateway Gas Pipeline to feed the plant.[11]
In February 2024, the mayor of Coatzacoalcos described the export terminal as a US$5 billion investment that would help revitalize the region's economy, and predicted that CFE would soon make an announcement confirming plans for the project.[12] However, as of September 2024, there had been little further news about the proposed terminal.
Throughout 2025, media sources referred to CFE's project in the past tense, while highlighting instead the rising prospects of the private Coatzacoalcos II LNG Terminal, announced in January 2025 by Comercializadora Aqualita, S.A. and CASARVE Servicios, S.R.L.[13]
As of September 2025, there had been no solid news about CFE's proposed Coatzacoalcos terminal for more than two years, and the project was presumed to be shelved.
Opposition
Numerous citizens' groups in Mexico, including Greenpeace, Nuestro Futuro, Alianza Mexicana Contra el Fracking, Conexiones Climáticas and Planeteando have called for the government to cancel all pending LNG export terminal projects in the country. The groups argue that LNG terminals create a host of serious negative impacts for local communities, including health effects from toxic chemicals such as benzine and nitrogen oxides, climate change associated with heightened levels of greenhouse gas emissions, devastation of marine life due to dredging, and the associated negative economic impacts on fisheries.[14]
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 (PDF) https://www.cfenergia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Call-to-know-the-interest-liquefaction-plant-_30112022_English_FINAL.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://goo.gl/maps/1hHZxsWMKgLCckkt6.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/mexico-plans-4-5-bln-lng-hub-gulf-port-president-says-2022-09-27/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 https://naturalgasintel.com/news/mexican-firms-tout-coatzacoalcos-lng-project-targeting-european-market/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://naturalgasintel.com/news/mexican-developers-advancing-another-lng-project-aimed-at-european-market/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Mexico Likely To Further Expand LNG Export Capacity". Fitch Solutions. October 10, 2022.
- ↑ "Mexico plans three gas liquefaction facilities, eyes tender process". Reuters. April 1, 2022.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:1 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0 - ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:63 - ↑ Smith, Christopher E. (2022-12-05). "CFEnergia considering building 4.5-million tpy Gulf Coast LNG plant". Oil & Gas Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
- ↑ "CFE invertiría hasta nueve mmdp en Coatza para gasoducto y planta de licuefacción". Más Noticias. 2024-02-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Mexican Firms Tout Coatzacoalcos LNG Project Targeting European Market". NGI (Natural Gas Intelligence). 2025-01-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "El alto de EEUU a proyectos de Gas Natural Licuado evidencia que el plan de México para exportarlo es peligroso y debe ser cancelado". Greenpeace México. 2024-01-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
