Vaquita's Last Stand: $30 Billion LNG Terminal Sparks Battle Over Gulf of California
The Saguaro LNG terminal on the Sonoran coast of Mexico is a $30 billion export machine waiting for its permits, financing, and first tanker. This project involves piping U.S.-fracked gas west, liquefying it, loading it onto tankers, and selling it to Asia via a shipping lane that shaves days off the traditional route around South America.
The Gulf of California, where the terminal will be located, is home to 43 marine mammal species, including endangered blue whales, whale sharks, and leatherback sea turtles. It's also where the critically endangered vaquita, a small porpoise that has never lived outside this region, still exists.
The Saguaro project faces at least 10 legal challenges in Mexico, and developer Mexico Pacific has requested an extension to 2032 due to financial and operational setbacks. Middle Eastern buyers are looking for new Pacific supply routes as they diversify away from the Strait of Hormuz.