Mombasa LNG Terminal

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Mombasa LNG Terminal is a proposed LNG import terminal in Mombasa, Kenya.

Location

The map below shows the location of Mombasa, the approximate location of the terminal.

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Project details

Original Proposal

• Owner: Kenya Ministry of Energy and Petroleum
• Parent company: Kenya Ministry of Energy and Petroleum
• Location: Mombasa, Kenya
• Coordinates: -4.06016, 39.64864 (approximate)
• Capacity: 0.26 mtpa, 0.04 bcfd
• Status: Shelved
• Type: Import

Second Proposal

• Operator: AMACO Ltd (Kenya)
• Owner: Special Purpose Vehicle
• Location: Kwale County, Mombasa Port, Kenya
• Coordinates: -4.06016, 39.64864 (approximate)
• Capacity: 6.2 mtpa
• Status: Proposed
• Type: Import
• Start: 2027

Background

Original Proposal

In 2011, Kenyan energy officials announced a plan to build an LNG regasification terminal in Mombasa. The plan called for a terminal with capacity of 0.26 million metric tons per year (mtpa), or 0.04 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd). The plan was for the project to be carried out by a private-sector company, supplying gas for electricity production.

In April 2014, Kenyan officials struck a deal with Qatargas, under which the Qataris would supply 1 million tons of LNG annually to power a proposed 700-MW gas-fired power plant in Mombasa. However, in February 2015, Kenya suspended this deal with Qatargas. In April 2016, Kenyan officials abandoned the plan for the gas-fired power plant, worrying that it would face insufficient demand.

After shelving the LNG import project for several years, Kenyan officials revived it in October 2016, due to low natural gas prices.

In October 2021, US advisory firm K&M said that it had received a contract from state-controlled Kenya Electricity Generating Co (KenGen) to conduct a feasibility study for natural gas power generation in Kenya, including the feasibility of developing an LNG import terminal in Mombasa.

As of May 2024, there have been no updates for this proposal in over two years, and it was reported that Kenya was working to develop a floating liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) facility in Mombasa. The LNG terminal is presumed to be shelved.

Second Proposal

In 2024, Greek energy infrastructure company AMACO created a project page for "Mombasa, LNG to Power & NG Transmission System Development," proposing an LNG delivery point, storage, and 6.2 mtpa regasification facility at Mombasa Port. The LNG would fuel a 1.500MW power plant, and the project also mentions a "connection with the national transmission system: Mombasa to Nairobi (capital city), almost 485.8km."

A January 2025 article supported the existence of AMACO's project, indicating the company was researching options to import LNG and convert or build power plants. The article contains language almost identical to a 2021 article about the original, K&M-advised project. No other reporting on the AMACO project has occurred.