US natural gas flows on the Sur de Texas-Tuxpan pipeline weakened unexpectedly in June-July because of maintenance at New Fortress Energy's (NFE) LNG export terminal in Altamira, Tamaulipas, according to company data and a market source familiar with the situation.
Feedgas demand at NFE's Fast LNG 1 export terminal dropped to zero or near-zero twice — from 14-22 June and from 16-26 July, the source said.
Feedgas demand on the Altamira spur "has averaged around 200mn cf/d for most of the first half of this year," the source told Argus, but "by mid-year, the offshore liquefaction terminal faced maintenance-related outages that rippled through STX Mexports [gas exports to Mexico via south Texas connections]."
During the periods, flows on the Sur de Texas–Tuxpan pipeline dropped to 900mn cf/d–1.2 Bcf/d, later rebounding to roughly 1.1–1.4 Bcf/d once Altamira resumed nominations, according to the pipeline's bulletin board.
NFE partnered with state utility CFE in 2022 to convert existing infrastructure at the site into a new liquefaction plant, now owned by CFE.
The facility is fed by gas from Texas' Agua Dulce hub through the Sur de Texas-Tuxpan pipeline. Fast LNG 1 exported its first LNG cargo in August 2024, and NFE has shipped 12 cargoes through March, latest NFE data show.
Construction of a second train, Fast LNG 2, is expected to begin in the third quarter, expanding capacity from 1.4mn t/yr to 4.2mn t/yr by 2027.

