MarkWest PA NatGas Plant Back in Service
MarkWest Energy Partners LP's Plant III at its Houston natural gas processing and fractionation complex in Washington County, Pennsylvania, has returned to service after nearly two months, the company said.
The company also said in a statement late Tuesday that it had completed or was close to completing new units at a couple of gas processing plants in Ohio.
The Houston complex consists of three processing plants totaling 355 million cubic feet per day and 98,000 barrels per day of ethane and heavier fractionation capacity.
Plant III is a 200 MMcf/d cryogenic facility that has been offline since May 28, when its heat exchanger was damaged.
While fixing Houston`s Plant III, MarkWest said it had diverted gas for processing to the Majorsville complex in Marshall County, West Virginia.
In the Utica Shale, MarkWest Utica EMG LLC, a joint venture between MarkWest and the Energy and Minerals Group private equity firm, is in startup mode for its third cryogenic processing plant at the Seneca complex in Noble County, Ohio.
The 200 MMcf/d Seneca III plant will increase total processing capacity at the complex to 600 MMcf/d. The Seneca complex is supported by long-term contracts with Antero Resources Corp, Gulfport Energy Corp, Rex Energy Corp, PDC Energy Inc, and other producers.
MarkWest Utica EMG expects to complete a fourth 200 MMcf/d plant at the Seneca complex in the second quarter of 2015, the company said.
In addition, MarkWest Utica EMG recently completed a 40,000 bpd de-ethanization facility at the Cadiz complex in Harrison County, Ohio. The new facility will enable producer customers to meet residue gas quality specifications and downstream ethane pipeline commitments.
Ethane produced at the new Cadiz facility will be delivered to Enterprise Products Partners LP's 1,230-mile Appalachia-to-Texas Express (ATEX) pipeline from Pennsylvania to Texas.
MarkWest also said the Cadiz II plant would become operational this quarter and increase total cryogenic processing capacity at the complex to 325 MMcf/d.
Reporting by Scott DiSavino
