Punta Arenas largest single industry leaves for Louisiana: insufficient gas supply
The world’s largest supplier of methanol, Canadian-based Methanex, will invest 550 million dollars to relocate a methanol production plant from the extreme south of Chile to a 225-acre site in Geismar, Louisiana.
The plant should be in production by 2014. The dismantling of the four module processing plant in Punta Arenas has already begun and will be shipped to their new location in Louisiana.
Methanol is increasingly used as a clean-burning alternative fuel in the energy sector, including direct gasoline blending, dimethyl ether and bio-diesel.
“The outlook for low North American natural gas prices makes Louisiana an attractive location in which to produce methanol,” said President and CEO Bruce Aitken of Methanex.
“It is also a large methanol-consuming region, possesses world-class infrastructure and skilled workers, and is a positive environment in which to do business.” Methanex expects to break ground on the project in September 2012. Construction is set for completion in late 2014.
According to Louisiana Economic Development, rising demand for methanol, along with Louisiana's competitive natural gas prices, positive business climate and chemical industry infrastructure, combined to attract the project to Ascension Parish.
In addition to ready supplies of natural gas, Ascension Parish provides easy access to barge, rail and interstate highway transportation, economic development officials said.
However joy in Louisiana is very bad news for Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile where jobs are not abundant and the corporation when it was launched in the nineties promised to become one of the leading industries of the region.
And so it was for a few years supplied with natural gas from neighbouring Argentina. But then the Kirchner couple arrived and ignoring international contracts gave preference to the domestic market thus endangering the future of the plant which had to successively shut three out of four production modules.
Magallanes region gas production is insufficient and recent discoveries have been too slow in developing.
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Magallanes region gas production is insufficient and recent discoveries have been too slow in developing.”
It was always risky relying on another nation to fulfil its feedstock contact; especially when there has been such 'dynamic tension' between Chile and Argentina.
West#2, Chile is in a different trade bloc.
The local gas production have never been enough to hold the 4 train plant (almost just for one of them) and that was the reason that Methanex have signed a deal for the gas supply from our neighbors and to built another plant on the Argentine side of Tierra del Fuego.....but the elbow has worked again deleting what the hands did.....
As ManRod said, maybe if the gas ammount from FI wells is enough it will be possible to carry it to Magallanes before all the plant have been dismantled or if not, some of them can be moved to the FI as they are clean production ones.
BTW, Chile is an associated member of Mercosur, not full, but some kindness would be expected from our neighbor...considering it has been involving us into its bi-lateral issue with the FI Gvt. over the islands sovereignity.
The sooner this despicable woman leaves, or is assassinated, the better.
It is a lesson for many countries that have been slow to exploit their shale gas reserves, some five or ten years ago you could go to the futures market and secure a good price for the gas you were going to take out, as world prices were going up and up, that´s what many did in the USA, their investments on shale gas deposits were money-savvy, they seized the moment.
A few days ago you wrote:
“R.I.P. Argentina....sorry, neighbors”
And now...“Punta Arenas largest single industry leaves for Louisiana”
Oh no you beloved city!
Bad karma neighbor :-))
Marcos, bad karma is not something that you guys should ”shout in to the woods” too loud after what you have recently done with your neighbours Paraguay, now with Uruguay, bullying the Falklands population and last but not least... your own population. You, as the rather clever one of your kind (compared to BK and other real lunatics) should have a sense for. That's alot of accumulated bad karma...
It goes to show that Chile´s made the right decision by staying out of that circus and joining the Pacific Alliance, a true free trade agreement with serious partners.
Agreed
Absolutely correct.
Yes, agreed also. Argentina, and anyone else for that matter, could learn a thing or two from Chile. She leads the way in the region in many economic and social indicators. Second only to the Falklands in many things, she continues her steady upwards growth in most areas.
www.facebook.com/pages/Grupo-Chileno-de-Solidaridad-con-Falklands-Chile-supports-the-Falklands/254740114595243
Because the stupid bitch and her trained assasin, Moreno, have fu*ked up the economy to such an extent that there are no jobs!!!!!
That was rheotorical. That is the great problem with socialism and the concerns internally with the Botox Queen. She does not creat opportunites for self improvement, she only creates dependency........Simon, you know anthing about the post 2203 economy? Got a crystal ball?
Most people who meet me think I am a very nice chap, which I am provided:
1) they do not abuse my family (this includes the people of the Falklands and Uruguay, we all have to stick together);
2) they do not hurt my dogs;
3) they do not try to rob me, either directly or indirectly (in business);
If any of these clauses are broken I give them a chance to make amends.
If no amends are made they find out that I am also a serious guy to upset and I ALWAYS get a 'resolution', however long it takes.
That is why your 'queen' and her despicable government and 'Dead Man Walking' are fair game as far as I am concerned.
You are just deluded and possibly a traitor to your country, but do not rate any consideration from me other than pity.
Though I am only an American.....BK certainly is a traitor to his cocuntry. Worst of all he talks of SA, mainly Argentina with an errection and yet, he's never at the very least vacationed there. Take his oxygen.
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