MarkWest unit to add third gas plant in Ohio

MarkWest Utica EMG LLC will build a third 200-MMcfd cryogenic gas plant at its Seneca processing complex in Noble County, Ohio. It will support rapidly growing drilling by Antero Resources, Gulfport Energy Corp., and other producers in the southern Utica shale, the company reported.

The first two 200-MMcfd plants are to begin operating in this year’s fourth quarter to support rich-gas production from Antero, Gulfport, Rex Energy, PDC Energy, Consol Energy, and others. In addition to Seneca 1, Antero’s rich-gas production will anchor the new Seneca 3 plant. MarkWest Utica EMG said it expects the plant to start up early in second-quarter 2014 (UOGR, May 1, 2013).

MarkWest Utica EMG also is developing the Cadiz complex in Harrison County, Ohio, anchored by Gulfport production. In the past 2 weeks, MarkWest Utica EMG started up the first major cryogenic processing plant in eastern Ohio, the 125-MMcfd Cadiz 1 plant (UOGR, May 1, 2013).

The Cadiz complex currently can process as much as 185 MMcfd, which includes a 60-MMcfd interim refrigeration plant. The capacity at Cadiz will increase to 325 MMcfd by mid-2014 with completion of Cadiz 2, a 200-MMcfd plant, and removal of the Cadiz interim plant.

The Cadiz and Seneca complexes, the company said, will be connected by a rich-gas header that will provide Utica producers with redundancy.

In slightly more than a year, MarkWest Utica EMG said, it has executed agreements with seven producers developing acreage in the southern Utica shale. By mid-2014 its fully integrated midstream system in the Utica shale will consist of more than 300 miles of gathering, five processing plants totaling almost 1 bcfd, and 100,000 b/d of C₂+ fractionation capacity.

The venture’s midstream system will also be connected to MarkWest’s Marcellus NGL infrastructure.

MarkWest Utica EMG is a joint venture of MarkWest Energy Partners LP and the Energy & Minerals Group.