The AES Panama-operated LNG import terminal in Colon has opened a truck loading station to cater to the growing demand for the fuel in the region.
The move follows a deal revealed last year under which Colon LNG Marketing and Tropigas Natural will distribute LNG via trucks in Panama and Costa Rica but also wider region in Central America.
Colon LNG Marketing is a unit of US energy company AES while the Dominican-based gas and power company Tropigas controls Tropigas Natural.
AES loaded the first Tropigas truck on January 14 for onward delivery to Island Power’s plant in Santa Fe, Darien, according to Tropigas.
AES, via AES Colon, has a 50.1 percent stake in the Costa Norte LNG import terminal in Colon. The other 49.9 percent share belongs to Inversiones Bahia.
Besides the new truck loading station, Panama’s first LNG import terminal consists of a 180,000 cbm tank and a 381 MW combined cycle power plant.
The tank reached commercial operations in 2019 allowing Panama to become a regional LNG distribution hub.
In addition, AES has invested a total of $1.15 billion in the facility located near the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal.