Español
The first power generation plant based on liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Central America, owned by Panamanian Inversiones Bahía and a subsidiary of the US AES, with an installed capacity of 381 megawatts, after 27 months of construction at a cost of 1.15 billion dollars, was inaugurated in Panama.
The opening ceremony was attended by Stanley Motta, president of Inversiones Bahía, and directors, as well as the Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela; the assistant secretary of fossil energy of the USA, Steven Winberg; and senior managers of AES.
The first natural gas-based power generation plant and the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal in Central America, will start distributing in the region. The storage tank for liquefied natural gas of 180,000 cubic meters, will start operations next year.
The AES Colón plant will receive ships with GLN from the United States, which thanks to the new locks can now cross the Panama Canal, and will supply the region with this fuel when the construction of a 180,000 cubic meter tank is completed next year.
The 75 percent of the LNG storage tank capacity of the project will be available for third-party use and the remaining 25 percent will be used for the generation plant. Until the storage tank is built, the plant will operate with a vessel, which will be changed approximately every 45 days.
AES Colón during the construction process, generated more than 2,500 direct jobs in the province of Colón, on the Caribbean coast of Panama and about 80 kilometers from the capital.
LNG, which is natural gas that has been processed to be transported in liquid form, is more friendly to the environment than the rest of hydrocarbons. Only in Panama, the entry into operation of this LNG plant will cause a reduction of 4 million tons in carbon dioxide emissions.