The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has concluded individual talks with companies interested in the gas pipeline project and is this week meeting with parties interested in the ports. The Canal's plan includes the construction of new terminals in Corozal and Telfers with an estimated investment of $2.6 billion. The ACP is gathering all questions to adjust the contracting concept to align with what the market can finance. «Panama does not generate a cargo volume comparable to other countries; that is the platform on which we operate,» said Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez. He emphasized that the ACP will not assume financial risks or guarantees in any of the concessions. The projects are in a market-approach phase, and construction could begin around 2027 after the pre-qualification and operator selection processes are complete. According to Vásquez, the pre-qualification for ports could be announced in March, provided the tender document is issued this month. The central criteria for pre-qualification will be financial strength, previous experience, operational capacity, and results on similar projects. These works would increase the national transshipment capacity by an additional 5 million TEU per year and are projected to become operational by 2029, after completing pre-qualification, award, and construction processes. The gas pipeline project, which the ACP is developing, envisions an infrastructure of about 76 kilometers to connect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The pre-qualification process for the pipeline is expected to take about five months due to the larger number of participants. «We saw 45 companies in the gas pipeline presentation and 17 or 18 in the individual meetings,» detailed the administrator. This program is part of a modernization strategy that could generate $1.5 to $1.7 billion annually in new revenue and thousands of jobs during its development.
