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Longhorn products pipeline marks progress

July 20, 1998

Longhorn Products Pipeline [99,822 bytes] Official groundbreaking ceremonies occurred earlier this month for the Longhorn Partners Pipeline (LPP) project between Houston and El Paso, although the line has been under construction since March 1998 and is overall about 50% complete. The refined products line will extend nearly 800 miles from GATX Terminals Corp.'s Galena Park, Tex., Houston Ship Channel site to a new 900,000-bbl terminal and storage center in El Paso (see map, this page).

Longhorn Products Pipeline [99,822 bytes]

Official groundbreaking ceremonies occurred earlier this month for the Longhorn Partners Pipeline (LPP) project between Houston and El Paso, although the line has been under construction since March 1998 and is overall about 50% complete.

The refined products line will extend nearly 800 miles from GATX Terminals Corp.'s Galena Park, Tex., Houston Ship Channel site to a new 900,000-bbl terminal and storage center in El Paso (see map, this page).

Competition

Shipments into the El Paso area will increase competitive pressures in the southwestern U.S. motor-gasoline markets, LPP says. Initial shipping volumes at December 1998 start-up will be 70,000-80,000 b/d through five pump stations, says LPP Vice Pres. O.D. Harris. Shipments will consist of about 70% motor gasoline with the remainder diesel and a small portion of aviation fuels. Full line capacity will be 225,000 b/d. The pipeline integrates about 550 miles of existing 6, 8, and 18-in. line (formerly moving crude oil eastward from West Texas to Houston-area refineries) with nearly 250 miles of new 8, 18, and 20-in. line. The new line includes a 9-mile, 20-in. connector from the GATX terminal to the eastern end of the recently purchased former crude oil line; 240 miles of 18-in. line westward from Crane, Tex., to El Paso; and an 8-in. spur to Odessa, Tex., where another terminal is under construction. As of mid-July, LPP had laid about 90 miles of new line at a rate of about 10 miles/week, Harris said. And cleaning of the former crude oil line was about 80% completed.

Participants

Williams Energy Group, Tulsa, holds two contracts for the project. It is overall manager for construction and will serve as operator upon start-up. The line will be controlled from Williams Pipeline's Tulsa control center. LPP partners include affiliates of Exxon Pipeline Co., Williams Pipeline Co., Amoco Pipeline Co., and the Beacon Group, New York City.