Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPP), Houston, has started up the first train at its new cryogenic natural gas processing plant at Yoakum, Lavaca County, Tex., about 125 miles north of Corpus Christi.
The plant has design capacity of 300 MMcfd of gas and can extract about 37,000 b/d of NGLs.
During start-up, it will process existing Eagle Ford production in a reduced recovery mode to enable testing of the plant and supporting facilities and allow adjustments to plant operations.
Incoming gas volumes and recovery percentages will continue to increase throughout May, EPP said, with full production from the plant expected by June 1.
Before start-up, EPP had been using capacity at gas processing plants owned by third parties. Most of those volumes will now be diverted and processed at Yoakum.
A.J. Teague, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of EPP’s general partner, said, “The long-term outlook in the Eagle Ford shale continues to show growth in rich gas production.”
A 65-mile, 36-in. OD residue-gas pipeline linking Yoakum to EPP’s leased gas storage at Wilson, Tex., was completed last month. In addition, the company has built 169 miles of 20-in. and 24-in. OD pipeline for delivering mixed NGLs extracted at Yoakum to EPP’s fractionation and storage at Mont Belvieu, Tex., just east of Houston.
