Eagle Ford Shale Midstream Sold

EFS Midstream Operating Area

Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) will acquire Eagle Ford Shale (EFS) Midstream for a total price of $2.15 billion.

The deal announced this week includes an agreement with Pioneer Natural Resources and Reliance Industries who each own shares in EFS and is expected to be closed in the third quarter this year. The purchase price will be split into two installments, with $1.15 billion to be paid at the transaction closure. The balance of $1 billion will be paid within 12 months of the closing date.

Related: Pioneer Resources Reveals Q4 & 2015 Capex

“This ‘bolt on’ acquisition extends our integrated system deeper into the NGL and condensate rich areas of the Eagle Ford, which will provide us with the ability to offer services to additional producers and increase volumes on our system.”

— Michael A. Creel, Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise

EFS Midstream designs, constructs, owns and operates facilities that provide gas gathering, treating, condensate stabilization, and transportation services for operations in the Eagle Ford Shale and offers nearly 460 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines and ten central gathering plants. The firm maintains 119 thousand barrels of condensate stabilization capacity per day and can treat 780 million ft3 of natural gas daily.

Read more at enterpriseproducts.com

Enterprise Completes 7th NGL Fractionator at Mont Belvieu

Mont Belvieu Fractionator

Enterprise Products brought its seventh fractionator online at the company's Mont Belvieu Complex earlier in September.

The new unit adds 85,000 b/d of fractionation capacity and expands the company's capacity at Mont Belvieu to 570,000 b/d.  An eighth plant will be online at the end of the year and will add another 85,000 b/d of capacity.

NGL fractionation capacity is important for shale plays like the Eagle Ford where high BTU gas is produced. Without fractionation capacity, the value of the individual NGL components, ethane, propane, butane, etc., can not be extracted from a mixed stream of NGLs.

“Our eighth fractionator is also running ahead of schedule and should be in-service by mid-fourth quarter 2013. Fractionators seven and eight will increase total capacity at the partnership’s Mont Belvieu complex to 655,000 BPD, compared to 400,000 BPD just three years ago.”

— Michael A. Creel, CEO

Enterprise operates the units and Western Gas owns a 25% interest in the 7th and 8th fractionators at Mont Belvieu.

Read the full press release enterpriseproducts.com

Plains & Enterprise Announce Eagle Ford JV Pipeline Expansion

Plains All American Eagle Ford Assets

Plains All American and Enterprise Products are planning a $120 million expansion of the Eagle Ford JV Pipeline system. The expansion will increase the pipeline's capacity to 470,000 b/d of light and medium crude grades, as well as increase storage capacity in Corpus Christi, Gardendale, and Tilden by 2.3 million barrels.

The JV pipeline system is largely in service and will be completed by September 30, 2013. The companies will add capacity by looping pipelines and adding pumping capacity. The expansion will be complete by the second quarter of 2015. The JV pipeline was initially planned with potential for 350,000 b/d of capacity.

The expansion will be completed in time to support production moving through Plains' Cactus Pipeline. The Cactus Pipeline will have the capacity to move 200,000 b/d from West Texas into the Eagle Ford region.

Read the full press release at paalp.com or enterpriseproducts.com

The Eagle Ford Is Making Winners Out of Many - Video

The Eagle Ford is making winners out of several companies. Aimee Duffy, from Motley Fool, notes three companies with even more growth ahead. EOG plans to drill more this year than initially planned and both Enterprise Product Partners and Kinder Morgan will benefit from growing production.

Enterprise Products Third Yoakum Processing Plant Online, Volumes Up

Enterprise Eagle Ford Project Map

Enterprise Product Partners brought its third cryogenic processing plant in Yoakum, TX, online in March and is reaping the benefits. Natural gas processing volumes are up 38% and NGL production is up 532% from one year ago in South Texas.

The Yoakum Facility in Lavaca County will have ultimate capacity of 900 mmcfd. The first plant at the Yoakum Facility came online in May of 2012, the second in August of 2012, and the Third in March of 2013. From just a year ago, fee-based processing volumes in the region have increased by 622 mmcfd and equity NGL production has increased by 27,000 b/d.

It's good timing. Volumes in the Rocky Mountains have fallen considerably, but South Texas growth has more than offset the declines.

Enterprise is also on pace to complete construction of its latest segment of its Eagle Ford crude oil pipeline in the third quarter. The project is a joint venture with Plains All American Pipeline. You can read more about the joint venture in the article Plains All American - Enterprise Eagle Ford Crude Oil Joint Venture. 

Those aren't the only assets benefiting from Eagle Ford growth:

“The Texas Intrastate pipeline system reported an $8 million increase in gross operating margin on a 389 billion British thermal units per day (“BBtud”) increase in natural gas pipeline volumes compared to the first quarter of 2012 as a result of increases in Eagle Ford shale production. ”

Read the full press release at enterpriseproducts.com