Ashford W. Meikle, Business Reporter

Partners, Canadian Sea Natural Gas Manage-ment Corporation and businessman Raymond Chang, have hit a snag in their plans to supply Jamaica with compressed natural gas (CNG).

"The problem is there is no gas available," Chang told Wednesday Business. "It doesn't matter, whether it's LNG or compressed natural gas, where you are going to get the gas, from SeaNG's perspective, has to be within a certain distance."

Trinidad, Venezuela and Colombia were ideal locations for SeaNG.

"In terms of location, Colombia - being the closest - is probably ideal," said Chang on Monday on the sidelines of an investors' forum hosted by First Global Financial Services on Monday.

Last November, Chang confirmed that he had formed a partnership with SeaNG to bid for a supply contract for natural gas to Jamaica, saying it could deliver CNG at about 50 per cent less the planned US$400 million LNG facility to be built at Port Esquivel in St. Catherine.

The plan by Chang and SeaNG would involve compressing the gas for transportation, hence eliminating the need for regassing.

"This solution, because the onshore operations are not as large, can be a turnkey solution to deliver to the doors of customers of Jamaica, so Jamaica would not have to finance any of it," SeaNG's vice-president, Ian Mallory said in Kingston two months ago.

Chang echoed similar sentiments on Monday, noting that "It's better than putting up a regassification plant onshore."

Still, notwithstanding the problems with identifying the supplier, Chang said the group had not abandoned its interest.

"I am still very much interested and the group that I am with is out there, looking for a supplier," he said.

ashford.meikle@gleanerjm.com