The Mariner Project is anticipated to have initial capacity to transport up to 50,000 barrels per day of ethane to Gulf Coast markets as soon as the second quarter of 2012 and could be scaled to transport higher volumes to support additional ethane production in the Marcellus region.
MarkWest Liberty said that the project is supported by key producers including Range Resources and Chesapeake Energy.
The Mariner Project includes MarkWest Liberty making minor modifications to its processing facilities to recover sufficient ethane to allow the residue gas to meet interstate gas pipeline specifications and installing additional facilities at its Houston, Pennsylvania processing and fractionation complex to separate the ethane for delivery to downstream Mariner Project facilities.
MarkWest Liberty will also construct a 45-mile pipeline from the Houston complex to an interconnection with an existing Sunoco Logistics pipeline at Delmont, Pennsylvania. The ethane will be transported to an existing East Coast facility where Sunoco Logistics will construct refrigerated ethane storage facilities.
The ethane will then be transported via marine vessel to premium markets in the Gulf Coast. In addition, the existing Sunoco Logistics pipeline crosses many of the large pipelines transporting natural gas into the northeast, which will provide multiple ethane blending options.
Deborah Fretz, president and chief executive officer of Sunoco Logistics, said: “We are excited to be able to participate in the Mariner Project and we are especially pleased to partner with MarkWest Liberty due to their extensive experience in the Marcellus Shale Basin.
“Our existing Pennsylvania active and idle pipeline infrastructure is well-positioned to provide an efficient solution for producers to move ethane across Pennsylvania to a Delaware River marine port to access multiple markets.”
