EU grants permissions to Sempra Energy to ship liquefied natural gas from Mexico

The US Department of Energy on Tuesday approved permits for Always Energy ship U.S. natural gas to Mexico for re-export from liquefied natural gas terminals (LNG), which, according to one source, led a Republican senator to remove barriers to four candidates from the Joe Biden administration.

Permissions allow always pipeline natural gas to Mexico in the coming years, where it will be converted to liquefied natural gas at the company’s terminals and shipped to consumers in Asia and other markets.

The LNG will be exported from two Sempra Energy terminals: Costa Azul -which is being built in two phases- and Vista Pacífico, whose construction has not yet started.

The first stage of Costa Azul is expected to be completed in 2025.

The Department of Energy allows Sempra to export liquefied natural gas equivalent to 475 billion cubic feet (bcf) per year from the proposed Costa Azul facility and 200 (bcf) per year from Vista Pacífico.

The supporters of gas natural have been putting pressure on the government of the president Joe Biden to rapidly increase export permits for the fuel after the February 24 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the world’s biggest exporter of fossil fuels.

While the permits will do nothing this year to help Europe’s energy crisis, they will add alternatives to Russian liquefied natural gas for consumers, particularly in Asia.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas who has been lobbying the Democratic government to pass the LNG permitshad been blocking confirmation of four Biden-proposed nominations for the Department of Energy.

A congressional source said Cruz immediately lifted his reservations about the nominated officials after the permits were approved.

Nominees included David Crane, former CEO of NRG Energy, as Under Secretary for Infrastructure, and Jeffrey Marootian as Under Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewables.

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