March 6, 2023 [bnamericas] – Braskem Idesa is moving forward with construction of a US$400mn ethane terminal in the Mexican port of Coatzacoalcos through a partnership with Dutch liquid storage logistics firm Advario.

The Brazilian-Mexican consortium said in a release that the facility in Veracruz state is being built as part of the existing Puerto de México chemical hub, of which Advario just bought a 50% stake.

The terminal is 30% complete and is expected to start operations in 2Q24. It will have capacity to store up to 100,000m3 of ethane and will supply Braskem Idesa’s Etileno XXI petrochemical complex, through a 10km pipeline.

Construction of the complex stems from a disagreement with Mexico’s national oil company Pemex, the plant’s original supplier. The spat led to months-long negotiations in 2021 regarding a gas supply agreement, which saw the government interrupting the plant’s supply of natural gas and disrupting its operations for 29 days.

Pemex ultimately secured a new contract to replace a previous deal to supply 66,000b/d for 20 years, starting in 2010, with a commitment to supply 30,000b/d of ethane to the plant until the ethane import terminal is finished, or by February 2025 at the latest.

A potential investment to grow production at Etileno XXI by 20% after 2025 has also been mulled by Braskem Idesa, with investments estimated at US$150mn.

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