$18B LNG export terminal project moves forward at Texas seaport
Energy producer NextDecade Corp. said on Wednesday it’s moving ahead with construction of a multibillion dollar liquefied natural gas export terminal on the Port of Brownsville in South Texas.
The Houston-based company’s Rio Grande LNG terminal on the port will consist of 5 compressor units once accomplished, with each designed to process 5.4 million metric tons of LNG per 12 months, making the 984-acre facility amongst the biggest LNG exporters on the earth.
“We stay up for delivering this vital LNG project that may supply the world with reliable and lower-carbon intensive LNG,” Matt Schatzman, NextDecade’s chairman and CEO, said in a news release. “Now our focus turns to soundly constructing Phase 1 on time and on budget.”
The Rio Grande LNG terminal project’s total cost for the primary phase is $18.4 billion. NextDecade said it has secured almost $6 billion in financing from international partners to start work on the project’s first three compressors to LNG from Texas’ shale fields for export on global markets.
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NextDecade’s partners within the project include French oil giant TotalEnergies and financial investors Global Infrastructure Partners, GIC and Mubadala Investment Co.
The corporate didn’t specify a completion date for the primary phase of the project during Wednesday’s announcement. NextDecade initially planned to start construction of the Rio Grande LNG terminal last 12 months, with a goal completion date of 2026.
Officials for the Port of Brownsville said the Rio Grande LNG terminal will transform South Texas and the state’s trade with the world.
Situated 277 miles south of San Antonio on the southernmost tip of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico, the Port of Brownsville is the one deep-water seaport situated along the border, making it a serious trade channel between Texas and Mexico.
“The Rio Grande LNG facility will probably be a real game-changer for our community, representing a generational achievement,” Eduardo A. Campirano, the port’s director and CEO, said in a news release. “Its impact will probably be enormous, significantly benefiting the energy industry of Texas.”
DHL investing $560M to expand supply chains in Mexico, South America
German transport and logistics giant DHL Supply Chain announced an investment of $556 million in Latin America by 2028.
The investments include constructing warehouses, developing robotics and automation solutions and decarbonization efforts across Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Argentina.
DHL will use the funds to strengthen logistics capabilities in high-demand sectors, including healthcare, automotive, technology, retail and e-commerce, the corporate said.
“Firms throughout the globe are searching for more diversified sourcing and provide chain strategies by bringing stock points closer to their production and sales markets,” Oscar de Bok, CEO of DHL Supply Chain, said in an announcement. “We see increasing demand for logistics support in Mexico, Brazil and the opposite strategic markets in Latin America.”
DHL Supply Chain currently operates 242 warehouses in Latin America totaling 3 million square feet.
The corporate also announced it has opened the Center of Excellence for Electric Vehicles in Mexico City. The power is the primary within the Americas to store and distribute electric batteries for the automotive industry, in keeping with DHL.
DHL Supply Chain, which has 510,000 employees, operates 1,400 warehouses and offices in 55 countries.
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German manufacturer proclaims 1st facility in Mexico
Germany-based manufacturer Kurtz Ersa recently began construction of a plant in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
The plant, which is able to create about 60 jobs initially, will produce welding machines utilized in automotive manufacturing. The factory is scheduled to open in 2024 and will probably be the corporate’s first in Mexico.
The Ciudad Juarez factory will probably be Kurtz Ersa’s third-largest manufacturing plant outside of Germany and China and will even function a preproduction center for the corporate’s facility in Plymouth, Wisconsin.
“[Mexico’s] central location on the border provides excellent access and facilitates access to strong local markets within the Americas,” Albrecht Beck, Kurtz Ersa’s president and COO, said in a news release. “The brand new production facility in [Cuidad Juarez] will higher serve local customers, minimize the C02 footprint, shorten delivery times and reduce freight costs.”
Kurtz Ersa produces industrial machinery utilized in the electronic and automotive industries. The corporate has 2,500 employees across 17 production and sales locations all over the world.
CBP seizes nearly $4M in meth from California border crossing
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at a Southern California port of entry reportedly recently discovered 1,815 kilos in methamphetamine concealed within the roof of a tractor-trailer.
The case occurred July 6, when CBP officers on the Tecate port of entry south of San Diego were inspecting a tractor-trailer arriving from Mexico. Officers reportedly found 138 packages stashed within the tractor’s roof that tested positive for methamphetamine.
The narcotics have an estimated street value of $3.9 million. CBP officers turned the case over to Homeland Security Investigations.
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