Slim’s Carso wins gas pipeline tender in Mexico

The government of Mexico, though the Comisión Federal de Electricidad, has awarded the Samalayuca – Sasabe pipeline project to Carso Electric and Promotora de Desarrollo.

The consortium has submitted the lowest bid, US$570.6 million, to develop the pipeline project. The team beat out competition from three other bidders:

• Fisterra Energy México IX and Operadora Mexicana de Gasoductos consortium; investment of US$685.6 million.
• Gasoducto de Aguaprieta (IEnova); investment of US$898.2 million.
• Transportadora de Gas Natural del Noroeste (Transcanada); investment of US$1054 million.

Samalayuca – Sasabe pipeline will transport natural gas from Waha, Texas to Mexico. It will supply natural gas to CFE’s new power generation plants in the States of Chihuahua and Sonora, as well as the North and Northwest regions.

The project comprises the design, engineering, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of a pipeline with capacity of 472 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD). The pipeline will have 650 kilometers long.

The new facility is expected to be operational by 2017.

The new pipeline will be interconnected to Sasabe – Guaymas pipeline, currently under construction, and to San Isidro – Samalayuca pipeline. This system will supply natural gas to new power generation plants, as well as those currently operating with fuel oil which will be converted to use natural gas as their base fuel.