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As officials continues to establish Panama as the center of trade in Central America, attention is turning to one of the fastest growing products in the world — liquid gas. The process for turning gas into liquid, which makes it easier to transport, has become cheaper and easier in recent years, which is why the United States is expected to turn from an importer of liquid gas to a major exporter in coming years.

The growth in liquid gas could be the next boon to the Panama economy, thanks to the expansion of the Panama Canal. Currently, less than 10 percent of the world’s liquid natural gas (LNG) fleet can go through the canal. But the current expansion of the canal, due to complete in 2016, will mean the Canal will be able to handle 80 percent of the fleet, Victor Urrutia, Secretary of Energy for Panama, said at a recent conference.

“We’re thinking that Panama has to join the future, and the future is in gas,” Urrutia said.

The expansion of the Canal will coincide with the completion of the first facility in the U.S. to export LNG, the Sabine Pass liquefaction terminal on the Louisiana coast, E & P Magazine reports. Not only will the Canal benefit from the transport of liquid gas, Panama City is a natural location for storage and distribution facilities.

“We think there’s a big future for tying off this LNG distribution idea with the Panama Canal,” he said.

This type of expansion is another example of Panama’s growing economic strength in the region, which for me and my investor clients translates to a strong property market. More corporate activity means more high-paying jobs in the city and more executives looking for sales and rental property investments in Punta Pacifica.

Read more about the liquid gas plans here.

Duncan McGowan is president of Punta Pacifica Realty, a Panama real estate agency focused on Punta Pacifica, the exclusive neighborhood of 18 towers perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.