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.”
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