Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE: EPD) today announced 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 approximately 21 miles of new pipeline along with the conversion of approximately 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.
“While we continue to expand our fractionation capacity, as evidenced by the addition of 300,000 BPD under construction at Mont Belvieu that is scheduled to be available in the first half of 2020, capacity will remain tight for the time-being,” said A.J. “Jim” Teague, chief executive officer of Enterprise’s general partner. “The optimization of our Shoup facility and restart of our Tebone fractionator highlights the flexibility of our integrated midstream network, which extends beyond the Mont Belvieu complex into South Texas and Louisiana and provides a timely, efficient and cost-effective solution for accommodating growing production from domestic shale basins.”
