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After more than 40 years as a net gas importer, Peru is opening the only liquefied natural gas terminal on South America’s Pacific Coast on Thursday to exploit its vast Camisea fields in the Amazon.

The $4bn facility is the country’s biggest single investment, and will turn the Andean nation into a net gas exporter, although not without controversy.

Domestic demand for gas has jumped sharply since 2004, when former president Alejandro Toledo struck deals with Repsol of Spain to export 4.2 trillion cubic feet of gas over 20 years from 2010 and Peru LNG, the consortium led by Hunt Oil of the US, to liquefy the gas into LNG. SK Energy of South Korea and Repsol have 20 per cent stakes in Peru LNG, and Marubeni of Japan a 10 per cent stake.

Alan García, Peru’s president, now faces strong resistance from southern departments which fear domestic needs may be overlooked in the rush to sell Camisea’s gas to the world. The question of who buys the gas is political dynamite – despite the obvious logic of selling to neighbouring Chile, the Peruvian public holds a grudge over the 1879 war of the Pacific in which the country lost a portion of its coastline. The government says it has a letter from Repsol assuring it Chile will not be a client. Canada, Spain and Mexico are among the most likely early recipients.

Mr Garcia insists Camisea can supply both export and domestic demand for the next 50 years, but opponents question the government-backed study of reserve size and say a lag in infrastructure could put domestic consumers at the back of the queue.

Infrastructure is always a challenge in mountainous Peru – Camisea is a testament to this, with gas from Amazonian fields being transported by a pipeline at 16,000ft over the Andes to the desert coast.

But ultimately the project’s greatest obstacle may be public opinion – as the Barcelona Knutsen tanker waits patiently at the terminal for its first sailing date, opponents continue to plan protests.