Gasoducto Los Ramones
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Gasoducto Los Ramones is a natural gas pipeline running through the states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Guanajuato, Mexico.
Contents
Location
The pipeline runs from Camargo (Tamaulipas state) to Apaseo el Alto (Guanajuato state), passing through key junctions at Los Ramones (Nuevo León state) and Villa Hidalgo (San Luis Potosí).
Project Details
- Operator: Gasoductos de Chihuahua, TAG Pipelines Norte, TAG Pipelines Sur
- Parent Company: Sempra Energy, BlackRock, FirstReserve, Engie, Pemex
- Current capacity: 51.2 billion cubic meters per year (total); 21.7 billion cubic meters per year (Los Ramones I); 14.8 billion cubic meters per year (Los Ramones II North); 14.7 billion cubic meters per year (Los Ramones II South); Villa de Reyes Branch Pipeline
- Length: 534 miles / 860 km; Villa de Reyes Branch Pipeline: 11 miles / 19 kilometers
- Status: Los Ramones Pipeline: Operating; Villa de Reyes Branch Pipeline: Construction
- Start Year: 2014 (Phase I); 2016 (Phase II); Villa de Reyes Branch Pipeline: 2018
Background
Supplying roughly 20% of Mexico’s total natural gas demand, Gasoducto Los Ramones is an 860 km-long pipeline that transports natural gas into northeastern and central Mexico from the Eagle Ford shale gas deposit near Agua Dulce in southern Texas.[1]
The pipeline consists of three separate sections, which were built in two phases as follows:
Los Ramones Phase I starts at the interconnection point with the Agua Dulce pipeline in Camargo, Tamaulipas - on the United States border opposite Rio Grande City, Texas - and ends at the Los Ramones compression station in Nuevo León, where it connects with Mexico's national gas transport network Sistrangas (Sistema de Transporte de Gas Natural).[2]
Los Ramones II North runs between Los Ramones, Nuevo Leon and Villa Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi.[3]
Los Ramones II South runs from Villa Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi to Aposeo El Alto, Guanajuato.
Los Ramones I was built between March and December 2014[4], while Los Ramones II was completed between August 2014 and June 2016.[5]
The three Los Ramones segments constitute half of the six private pipelines included in Sistrangas, Mexico's primary network for transporting natural gas.[6]
Construction of the pipeline was overseen by an international consortium including Brazilian infrastructure specialist Odebrecht, the Mexican company Arendal, and the Italo-Argentine firm Techint.[7]
Technical specifications
The pipeline's total capacity is 4.95 billion cubic feet of gas per day, or 51.2 billion cubic meters of gas per year.[8]
Los Ramones Phase 1 is a 118 km-long pipeline with a diameter of 48 inches and a designed capacity of delivering 2.1 billion cubic feet of gas per day, or 21.7 billion cubic feet per year.
Los Ramones II North is a 452 km-long pipeline with a diameter of 42 inches and a designed capacity of delivering 1.43 billion cubic feet of gas per day, or 14.8 billion cubic feet per year.
Los Ramones II South is a 290 km-long pipeline with a diameter of 42 inches and a capacity of 1.42 billion cubic feet of gas per day, or 14.7 billion cubic feet per year. However, actual throughput during Ramones II's first year of operation was limited to only 400 million cubic feet per day due to a design flaw that allowed dust to clog the pipeline's filters.[9]
Ownership
Mexico's state-owned petroleum company Pemex initially held a majority stake in all three sections of Gasoducto Los Ramones. However, Pemex has gradually sold off most of its interest in the pipeline as part of a focus shift towards its core businesses of exploration and production.[10][6]
Los Ramones Phase I is owned by Gasoductos de Chihuahua, which started as a joint venture between Pemex's gas unit PGPB (Pemex Gas y Petroquimica Basica) and IEnova (the Mexican subsidiary of Sempra Energy International). In September 2016 IEnova bought out Pemex’s 50% stake in Gasoductos de Chihuahua to attain full ownership of the northernmost section of the Los Ramones pipeline.[11][6]
Los Ramones II North was initially held jointly by Gasoductos de Chihuahua and TAG Pipelines Norte (a division of PGPB).[12] In March 2015, Pemex sold a 45% stake in the project to US-based global asset manager BlackRock and private equity firm First Reserve.[13][14] In October 2017, Pemex sold an additional 25% stake in Los Ramones II Norte to IEnova. The latter sale left Pemex with only a 5% stake in Los Ramones II Norte, compared with IEnova's 50% and Black Rock and First Reserve's 45%.[6][15]
Los Ramones II South was initially owned by TAG Pipelines Sur, a joint venture between GDF Suez (which subsequently changed its name to Engie) and Pemex.[12] In March 2015, Pemex sold most of its interest in the project to US-based global asset manager BlackRock and private equity firm First Reserve[14], leaving Engie with a 50% stake in Ramones II South, with BlackRock and First Reserve holding 45%, and Pemex retaining the remaining 5%.
Proposed Villa de Reyes Branch Pipeline
This branch will supply the thermoelectric Villa de Reyes power plant as well as the San Luis Potosí I and San Luis Potosí II combined cycle power plants that are scheduled to start their commercial operations in April 2020 and June 2024, respectively. Initially, it will interconnect with the Ramones Phase II system, and subsequently interconnect withthe Aguascalientes - Villa de Reyes - Tula gas pipeline. The branch line is under construction and scheduled for completion in 2018.[16]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ "Mexico's Pemex to build most of Ramones II pipeline project" Reuters, October 25, 2013
- ↑ "Gasoductos del Noreste S. de R.L. de C.V." IEnova website, accessed April 2018
- ↑ "Ducto de transporte de gas natural Los Ramones Fase II Norte" BNAmericas website, accessed April 2018
- ↑ "México abre Los Ramones, su gasoducto más ambicioso" El País, December 3, 2014
- ↑ "Los Ramones Natural Gas Pipeline" Hydrocarbons Technology website, accessed April 2018
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "IEnova’s $500M Los Ramones II Pipeline Deal Receives Mexico Competition Regulator Green Light" Natural Gas Intel, November 14, 2017
- ↑ "Plan de gasoductos de México, sin precedentes: Odebrecht" El Economista, February 23, 2016
- ↑ "Inaugurarán en junio gasoducto Los Ramones" La Jornada, May 22, 2016
- ↑ "Mexico gas pipeline flaw impedes imports from US" Argus Media, January 19, 2017
- ↑ "Los verdaderos dueños de Los Ramones" Poder Colaborativo, June 6, 2017
- ↑ "IEnova toma el 100% del control de Gasoductos de Chihuahua por 1,143.8 mdd" Expansión, September 27, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Pemex splits Los Ramones II gas pipeline, awards to Sempra, GDF Suez" BNAmericas, October 25, 2013
- ↑ "INCORPORACIÓN DE NUEVOS SOCIOS EN TAG NORTE HOLDING, S. DE R.L. DE C.V." Grupo BMV (Bolsa Mexicana de Valores), March 27, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "BlackRock, First Reserve acquire US$900mn stake in Mexico's Los Ramones II" BNAmericas, March 27, 2015
- ↑ "Ramones II Norte dará gas a la acción de IEnova" El Economista, October 8, 2017
- ↑ Villa de Reyes Branch Pipeline, CFE, accessed October 2018
