Texaco plans Louisiana NGL system expansion

Texaco's Expanded NGL System [45279 bytes]

Texaco Natural Gas Inc. will spend $70 million to expand its natural gas liquids (NGL) distribution system in South Louisiana by knitting together existing and new pipe- lines.

All told, the pipeline network-known as Tends (Texaco Expanded NGL Distribution System)-will have capacity to ship 230,000 b/d to regional petrochemical complexes and refineries.

The transportation network is designed to support growing demand for NGL in the Gulf Coast area, which will be supplied by offshore projects including Texaco's deepwater Petronius and Gemini field developments. Output from these projects is slated to come on stream in 1999.

Due in large part to growth in offshore production, Texaco said, the volume of NGL entering South Louisiana is expected to double by 2000 to between 450,000-550,000 b/d by 2000, up from about 290,000 b/d today.

Deepwater production contains a higher proportion of NGL than other output in the gulf, Texaco noted. Some deepwater prospects are producing 3-4 gal/MMcf of NGL, versus 1/2-1 gal/MMcf historically produced in the same area.

Project components

The project consists of six separate components, including the expansion of four pipelines and the construction to two new pipeline segments, which will move offshore production to processing units onshore.

Major aspects of the project are:

Lake Charles system: Texaco paid $11.3 million to acquire an 83-mile, 8-in. former natural gas pipeline from Dow Intrastate Gas Co., and it will spend another $3.5 million on upgrades to form the western leg of Tends. This component of the network will have capacity of 45,000 b/d, originating at Texaco's Henry hub fractionator, near New Iberia, La., and extending to Sulfur, La. It will be ready this summer to deliver NGL into Lake Charles, La.
Breaux Bridge system: Texaco will expand an existing 35-mile, 4-in. pipeline by laying two new parallel 8-in., bi-directional lines connecting the Henry fractionator to the Anse la Butte storage area and the Dixie pipeline. The lines will have total capacity of 58,000 b/d, enabling multiple product movements into and out of the storage area and giving propane exiting the Henry hub better access to the Dixie pipeline.
Acadian system: Texaco will extend its existing 65-mile, 6-in., 24,000 b/d-capacity Acadian system from the Henry hub to Napoleonville, La., by laying 15 miles of new 6-in. pipeline to the Sorrento salt dome storage area. Capacity will remain unchanged.
Sorrento system: Texaco will upgrade existing dual-lateral, 6-in. 45-mile, 24,000 b/d-capacity pipelines connecting the Sorrento storage site to the Discovery fractionator at the Paradis, La., gas plant. It will add two, 6-in. lines, 12 miles each, bringing total capacity to 96,000 b/d.
Discovery pipeline addition: Texaco and Mapco Inc., Tulsa, are building a 150-mile, 30-in., $300 million pipeline with a 42,000 b/d capacity that will connect production facilities in the central gulf with the Larose, La., gas plant (OGJ, Mar. 10, 1997, p. 38). This system will be enhanced with dual 6-in. lines connecting the Discovery fractionator to BP Oil Co.'s Alliance refinery near Belle Chasse, La.

Texaco and Mapco are 50/50 partners in the Discovery project. 9517jnte2c.jpg A work barge lays the Discovery pipeline in the gulf, which will be a part of Texaco's expanded NGL distribution network.