Mexico boasts more attractive economics, and in some ways, a more attractive regulatory climate for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects than the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to Mexico Pacific Limited LLC’s (MPL) Sarah Bairstow, chief commercial officer.

MPL is developing an LNG liquefaction project on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Puerto Libertad, Sonora state, which is authorized by the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) to re-export up to 12 million metric tons/year (mmty) of natural gas sourced from the United States and transported through Mexico via pipeline.

MPL estimates that the project’s proximity to burgeoning Asian and South American LNG demand centers will create cost savings of about 35% relative to export terminals on the U.S. Gulf Coast, which must send LNG...