Mexico’s Ministry of Energy, known as the Energy Secretariat, issued an export permit to New Fortress Energy Inc. (NFE) for its Altamira fast LNG facility.

“This permit is the final piece to the puzzle for launching our first fast LNG in Altamira,” NFE Chairman and CEO Wes Edens said in a June 2 press release.

“Obtaining this authorization not only paves the way for operations to commence at our new LNG hub in the third quarter of [2023], but it also advances our efforts to expand access to cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy to customers around the world.”

The permit will allow NFE to export up to 7.8 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) through April 2028, and will support the company’s initial 1.4 mtpa fast LNG facility to be located offshore northern Mexico.

Construction of the unit is more than 90% complete and deployment to Altamira is slated to commence this month, NFE said.

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NFE plans to deploy multiple 1.4 mtpa capacity fast LNG units as part of efforts to create a fast LNG hub off the coast of Altamira, Tamaulipas, the company announced Oct. 28 in another press release.

The units will utilize Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission’s existing and underutilized pipeline capacity on TC Energy’s Sur de Texas-Tuxpan pipeline to receive requisite feedgas.

Additionally, NFE has already received authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy to export U.S.-sourced LNG to Mexico and other free-trade agreement countries.

Fast LNG harnesses existing floating LNG technology and combines it with a modular approach, allowing for scalability, affordability, and speed of natural gas liquefaction, according to NFE.