Enterprise Products Partners to expand fractionation capacity

Enterprise Products Partners is undertaking a series of projects designed to provide an additional 55,000 barrels per day (bpd) of fractionation capacity at existing facilities in Texas and Louisiana.

As part of the initiative, Enterprise plans to optimize its Shoup fractionator in Nueces County, Texas, by expanding and repurposing a portion of the partnership’s South Texas pipeline system. Construction of about 21 miles of new pipeline along with the conversion of about 65 miles of existing natural gas pipeline to natural gas liquids (NGL) service would allow Enterprise to supply Shoup with 25,000 bpd of additional NGL volumes. The expanded pipeline capacity is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2019.

In Louisiana, Enterprise plans to restart its 30,000-bpd Tebone fractionator in Ascension Parish. The plant is connected by pipeline to each of the partnership’s Louisiana natural gas processing plants, as well as its NGL fractionation and storage hub in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The resumption of service at Tebone, which is expected in the first quarter of 2019, will complement Enterprise’s Norco and Promix fractionators, providing another option for NGLs delivered to Mont Belvieu.

Enterprise previously announced plans to expand its NGL fractionation capacity at Mont Belvieu by 300,000 bpd. The expansion would increase Enterprise’s NGL fractionation capacity to 1 million bpd in the Mont Belvieu area and about 1.5 million bpd companywide, once service begins on two fractionator projects in 2020.

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