Mexico Strengthens Petrochemical Self-Sufficiency as Braskem Idesa Opens Ethane Hub

According to company disclosures and industry data, Braskem Idesa and Dutch partner Advario inaugurated the Terminal Química Puerto México on May 7, 2025.

The new facility will import up to 80,000 barrels of ethane per day to feed the Coatzacoalcos polyethylene plant. Braskem aims to resolve a seven-year supply shortfall that capped output at 80 percent of capacity.

Braskem Idesa signed its first ethane contract with Pemex in 2010 for 66,000 barrels per day. However, Pemex deliveries began falling in 2018 and dropped to 26,000 bpd by mid-2024.

In 2021, the parties revised that agreement to guarantee 30,000 bpd until this terminal opened. Located on an 11-hectare site in Veracruz, TQPM cost about $450 million and features two cryogenic storage tanks totaling 100,000 m³ of capacity.

The terminal includes a new jetty capable of handling 380-meter vessels, plus an 11-kilometre pipeline linking directly to the cracker at Nanchital.

Braskem also commissioned two dedicated cryogenic carriers at over $200 million to ensure reliable imports from U.S. Gulf Coast exporters. With this feedstock secured, the 1.05 million-tonne‐per-year polyethylene complex can operate at full load for the first time since its 2016 start-up.

Braskem Idesa Eyes Capacity Expansion

Moreover, Braskem Idesa is studying a board-level proposal to raise nameplate capacity by up to 25 percent, leveraging the surplus of imported ethane. The Mexican operation contributes roughly 15 percent of Braskem’s global volumes and revenue.

Sixty percent of its polyethylene now serves domestic customers, making Braskem Idesa the country’s largest local supplier with a 20 percent market share. The remaining output heads to Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America, taking advantage of shorter sea lanes.

This terminal also aligns with Mexico’s broader energy corridor goals, improving local infrastructure and supply security. Braskem Idesa plans to continue buying competitively priced pipeline ethane from Pemex whenever possible.

The company views that source as its lowest‐cost option and intends to keep open that supply channel. Construction generated about 2,000 local jobs, while ongoing operations will support refinery linkages and logistics services.

By eliminating feedstock volatility, Braskem Idesa can now focus on margin recovery amid global polyethylene market cycles. Consequently, the Veracruz plant stands poised to reinforce Mexico’s petrochemical self-sufficiency and bolster Braskem’s regional competitiveness.

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