Colombia Ramping Up LNG Imports to Tackle El Nino

Colombia's Cartagena regasification terminal has received orders for more than 130,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas, as the country prepares for an El Nino-induced drought, operator SPEC said. 
The first shipment of 16,000 cubic enters was delivered on May 15 and was followed by additional cargoes of 43,800 m3 and 28,000 m3 in the first half of June, Bnamericas website reported.
Another delivery of 44,000 m3 is due to arrive in the coming days, according to SPEC General Manager Jose Maria Castro. 
“Our customers are stocking up on natural gas to support electric power generation during the upcoming dry spell," Castro said. 
Completed in 2016 at a cost of $427 million, the Cartagena LNG plant currently boasts a 170,000 m3 floating storage regasification unit.
It is connected to the national gas network via a 9.2-km pipeline. SPEC also holds long-term contracts to supply three local gas-fired power plants: Tebsa, Termocandelaria and Prime Energia.
“Our infrastructure ... can support close to 2,000 MW of electricity generation with natural gas, which represents 60% of Colombia's thermal capacity," Castro said. 
Efforts to ramp up LNG imports come as meteorologists this week confirmed the arrival of El Nino, a weather phenomenon that could severely reduce the availability of hydroelectric power.