Vista Pacifico LNG Terminal

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Vista Pacifico LNG Terminal is a proposed LNG export terminal in Mexico.

Location

The map below shows the approximate location of the proposed terminal in Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Mexico.

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Project Details

• Operator: Vista Pacifico LNG S.A.P.I de C.V.
• Owner: Sempra Infrastructure, CFEnergía, TotalEnergies
• Parent company: Sempra Energy, CFEnergía, TotalEnergies
• Location: Topolobampo, northwestern Sinaloa, Mexico
• Coordinates: 25.581941, -109.059196 (approximate)
• Type: Export
• Capacity: 2 to 3 mtpa
• Status: Proposed
• Start Year: 2025
• Cost:
• Financing:
• FID status: Pre-FID

Note: mtpa = million tonnes per year; bcfd = billion cubic feet per day

Background

In 2020, US-based Sempra Energy and its subsidiary IEnova announced plans to develop a new LNG production/export terminal in Mexico's Sinaloa state, with a capacity of 4 mtpa (million tonnes per annum).

On November 18, 2020, developers submitted an application to the US Department of Energy (DOE), through the joint venture Vista Pacifico LNG, to export 240 Bcf of natural gas from the US to Mexico and re-export about 4 mtpa. The DOE approved Vista Pacífico's application in April 2021. The project envisioned exports of LNG to both FTA and non-FTA countries and was expected to start commercial operations by 2025.

Plans called for the new LNG terminal to be constructed at the port of Topolobampo, Sinaloa, comprising one 4-mtpa liquefaction unit, one 180,000-cubic-meter tank, an LNG jetty and other related facilities. Additional LNG liquefaction trains were also under consideration. The developers aimed to supply LNG to geographically strategic Asian markets, where LNG demand was expected to rise.

In January 2022, Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Sempra Energy calling for the two companies to jointly develop the Vista Pacífico LNG terminal. The agreement would allow CFE to take advantage of excess pipeline capacity on the Texas-to-Mexico network, including the El Encino-Topolobampo Gas Pipeline; some of the surplus Texas gas would be shipped as LNG to the Pichilingue LNG Terminal, just across the Gulf of California, where it would be regasified to supply CFE's power plants in Baja California Sur. Sempra Energy would use the Vista Pacífico terminal to export lower-cost Permian Basin natural gas to high-demand markets in Asia.

In March 2022, TotalEnergies announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Sempra Energy allowing TotalEnergies to offtake one-third of future production from the Vista Pacífico terminal and assume a minimum stake of 16.6% in the project.

In July 2022, Sempra Energy and CFE reported continued progress on the Vista Pacífico project. While plans remained preliminary and non-binding, the two companies were reportedly working together to define the terminal’s configuration and advance engineering and permitting for the project.

In December 2022, the US Department of Energy (DOE) approved permits allowing Sempra to export up to 200 bcf/y (billion cubic feet per year) of US natural gas to Mexico for liquefaction at its Vista Pacífico and Costa Azul LNG terminals and onward shipment to non-FTA countries through December 2050. The DOE had already granted a similar authorization for Sempra to export LNG from Vista Pacífico to FTA countries in April 2021. Sempra had been making the case that additional international gas supply was crucial in the wake of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The DOE established a deadline of December 20, 2029 for the commencement of exports from Vista Pacífico.

As of September 2024, there had been no significant new developments with the Vista Pacífico terminal, but Sempra Energy's website and quarterly reports continued to list it as an active project in the development phase. As of August 2024, Sempra's most recent quarterly report (Q2 2024) listed the terminal with a reduced capacity of 2 to 3 mtpa, down from the 3 to 4 mtpa previously announced.

Sempra's 2024 annual report, released in March 2025, affirmed that "In June 2024, we extended the non-binding development agreement with the CFE (for the Vista Pacífico export terminal) through December 2025. We continue to progress with the CFE on the negotiation of definitive agreements, including a natural gas supply agreement. The proposed LNG export terminal would be supplied with U.S. natural gas and would use excess capacity on existing pipelines in Mexico with the intent of helping to meet growing demand for natural gas and LNG in the Mexican and Pacific markets."

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.

Mexican and international organizations have filed lawsuits and organized protests calling for cancellation of the Vista Pacífico Terminal based on human rights concerns and potential environmental impacts on the Gulf of California, known locally as the "Acuario del Mundo" (Aquarium of the World) due to its rich biodiversity. In July 2025, the Mexican civil society organization ProDESC (Proyecto de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales) catalogued 82 adverse environmental impacts associated with development of the Vista Pacífico terminal, based on the project's environmental impact assessment; among other concerns, ProDESC highlighted the potential for air and water pollution, destruction of marine habitats, negative impacts on biodiversity, and collisions with dolphins and whales.