Enron Close To Deal For Venezuelan LNG Plant

Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) is reportedly preparing to sign an agreement with Enron to build the country's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant. Located in the eastern oil port of Jose, the facility will have an annual capacity of 2.1 million tons of LNG and should start operation in 2004, PDVSA said in a statement. It will be the first LNG plant to be built in gas-rich Venezuela which -- despite having the largest gas reserves in the western hemisphere -- has fallen behind Trinidad and Tobago, Algeria and Nigeria in tapping a sharp rise in gas demand for power generation in the region.