Sempra LNG and Infraestructura Energética Nova SAB de CV (IEnova) joint venture ECA Liquefaction (ECA LNG) has signed an equity investment agreement to finalize Total's 16.6% equity stake in 3.25-million tonne/year (tpy) ECA LNG Phase 1 in Baja California, Mexico. ECA LNG Phase 1 will be built at IEnova's existing Energía Costa Azul LNG regasification terminal and is expected to begin operations in 2024. Sempra and IEnova will each retain 41.7% ownership. The equity acquisition by Total does not include an equity interest in the regasification terminal.
Last month, ECA LNG announced it had reached a final investment decision for construction and operation of the plant (OGJ Online, Nov. 17, 2020). ECA LNG Phase 1 will use a single liquefaction train with an initial offtake capacity of 2.5 million tpy.
Earlier this year, Total signed a 20-year agreement for 1.7 million tpy of ECA LNG’s production. ECA LNG Phase 1 also has an agreement with Mitsui & Co. Ltd. for the purchase of 0.8 million tpy of LNG from the project.
Sempra LNG and Total are already partners in Cameron LNG, a 12-million tpy plant operating in Hackberry, La. Phase 1 of Cameron LNG reached full commercial operations in August 2020.
Sempra is developing additional LNG export capacity on the Gulf Coast and Pacific Coast of North America, including 8-million tpy Cameron LNG Phase 2 and 7-million tpy ECA LNG Phase 2.
