Mexico’s nascent LNG market could be impacted by the decision of U.S. authorities to pause export licenses as they review methodology and guidelines.

The liquefied natural gas export projects planned in Mexico, which amount to as much as 6 Bcf/d, would use U.S. natural gas as feed stock. As such, they require U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approval for exports to nations that lack free-trade agreements (FTA) with the United States.

NGI’s Mexico GPI spoke to LNG developers and participants in the natural gas market to get a sense of potential ramifications. The projects most obviously impacted have yet to receive DOE permits. However, even Mexico LNG projects that have U.S. authorizations could be forced to speed up plans or face reapplying for permits under unknown...