MEF Says $15 Billion Coming in Next Seven Years

By Xenia De León for the Panama America - The mega-projects that will be built in Panama from now until 2014 will bring some $15 billion dollars into the country, according to Fabio Bedoya Carrera, the Coordinator of Projects with International Financing of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Among the mega-projects that will be built in Panama are the expansion of the Panama Canal, an expansion of the multi-modal system of exports, the Howard project, as well as the expansion of the Manzanillo, Colon Terminal, and Panama Ports port facilities. In addition, Carrera mentioned the mega-port located in Palo Seco, the agro-export platform in Chiriqui, as well as the expansion and renovation of the Tocumen International Airport, as well as the real estate boom and the growth of tourism.

Editor's Comment: Dude, $15 billion in the next seven years is low-balling it a little. That's got to be projects that are already approved and funded, or what the MEF considers to be sure things. There is about twice that (another $30 billion) or more in projects that are in the "talking about it" stage. For example, the MEF numbers didn't mention gold and copper mining, the Oxy and Dubai refinery, the $40 billion dollar Spanish proposal to build a refinery and pipeline from Colon to Taboga, the cleanup of the Bay of Panama, the $1 billion that's going to be spent to develop the Costa Arriba of Colon, etc, etc, etc. In any case, $15 billion is a conservative number.

Inversión en megaproyectos será por $15, 000 millones

Ampliación, la gran apuesta.

Xenia De León

PANAMA AMERICA

LOS MEGAPROYECTOS que se realizarán en Panamá alcanzarán al 2014 una inversión estimada de 15 mil millones de dólares, afirmó Fabio Bedoya Carrera, coordinador de Proyectos con Financiamiento Internacional del Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas.

Entre los megaproyectos que se realizarán en el país se encuentran la ampliación del Canal, el sistema multimodal de exportaciones, el proyecto de Howard, y la expansión portuaria en Manzanillo, Colon Terminal y Panama Port.

De igual manera, Carrera mencionó el megapuerto ubicado en Palo Seco, la plataforma agroexportadora de la provincia de Chiriquí, así como la ampliación y renovación del Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen, y la expansión inmobiliaria y las inversiones turísticas, entre otros.