December 5, 2019 – Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. State Department, Cynthia Kierscht, visited Port-Au-Prince December 4 – 6. During her visit she met with the owners of Les Entreprises Plastech Haiti S.A. and Plastech Solutions S.A., which is the first business in Haiti to use liquified natural gas (LNG).
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state, at about -260° Fahrenheit, for shipping and storage. The volume of natural gas in its liquid state is about 600 times smaller than its volume in its gaseous state.
“This new technology could have significant impact in Haiti and the Caribbean where access and high energy prices affect consumption behavior,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Kierscht, noting that Les Entreprises Plastech Haiti SA has already reduced its cost of electricity generation as well as carbon emissions in the first few months of operation. As part of the U.S. Caribbean 2020 strategy, the United States seeks to increase our own and our neighbors’ prosperity by promoting sustainable growth, open markets, and private sector-led investment and development. “Seeing this strategy bring tangible results in Haiti will serve as a catalyst for further investment once there is a functioning government that can provide a conducive investment climate that the economic environment requires,” concluded Deputy Assistant Secretary Kierscht.
