NGL Fractionation
NGL fractionation facilities separate mixed NGL streams into discrete NGL products: ethane, propane, normal butane, isobutane and natural gasoline. The three primary sources of mixed NGLs fractionated in the United States are domestic natural gas processing plants, domestic crude oil refineries and imports of butane and propane mixtures. Recoveries of mixed NGLs by natural gas processing plants represent the largest source of volumes processed by our NGL fractionators.
Enterprise owns interests in 9 NGL fractionators with a combined net fractionation capacity of 439 MBPD. These facilities are located on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and are linked by pipelines to some of the largest consumers of NGLs in the United States and to international markets through the partnership's import/export terminal on the Houston Ship Channel. Generally, the partnership receives a fee on the volume of NGLs fractionated.
Our Mont Belvieu NGL fractionator is one of the largest NGL fractionation facilities in the United States with a gross capacity of 210 MBPD. This facility fractionates mixed NGLs from several major NGL supply basins in North America including the Mid-Continent, Permian, San Juan, Rocky Mountain Overthrust, East Texas and the U.S. Gulf Coast. We own 75% of this facility.
The partnership's Norco NGL fractionator, located near New Orleans, Louisiana, has a gross capacity of 75 MBPD. This facility receives mixed NGLs via pipeline from refineries and natural gas processing plants. At this facility, Enterprise is compensated for fractionation services under percent-of-liquids, or in-kind fees, contracts and fee-based contracts. During 2004, long-term percent-of-liquids contracts exclusive to this facility accounted for approximately 51 MBPD, or approximately 90% of the total volume processed. Enterprise owns 100% of this facility.
Promix owns a fractionator located in Napoleonville, Louisiana, which has the capacity to fractionate up to 145 MBPD of mixed NGLs from natural gas processing plants on the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast. In December 2004, the partnership invested $27.5 million to acquire an additional 16.7% interest in the Promix fractionator. As a result, Enterprise and an affiliate of Dow Chemical Company each own a 50% interest in this facility. The Promix and Norco fractionators are the hubs of our NGL value chain in Louisiana, where we expect to see a substantial increase in NGL volumes flowing from the start up of new developments in the Gulf of Mexico including those in the prolific Southern Green Canyon area.
| Facility | Ownership Interest | Gross Capacity (MBPD) | Net Capacity (MBPD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mont Belvieu, TX | 75% | 210 | 158 |
| South Texas (1) | |||
| Shoup, TX | 100% | 69 | 69 |
| Armstrong, TX | 100% | 17 | 17 |
| Delmita, TX | 100% | 10 | 10 |
| Promix, LA | 50.0%(2) | 145 | 73 |
| Norco, LA | 100% | 75 | 75 |
| BRF, LA | 32.2% | 60 | 19 |
| VESCO, LA | 13.1% | 36 | 5 |
| Tebone, LA | 44.3% | 30 | 13 |
| Total Capacity | 652 | 439 |
(1)Acquired as a result of the GulfTerra Merger. This list excludes the Almeda NGL fractionation facility (24 MBPD of capacity) that was acquired in connection with the GulfTerra Merger. At present, we have no plans to resume operations at the Almeda location.
(2)Enterprise acquired an additional 16.7% interest in Promix in December 2004.