Midstream operator MarkWest Energy may export condensate from the US east coast.
The midstream operator is currently building a 23,000 b/d condensate stabilization facility in Harrison County, Ohio, which is slated to be on line by the fourth quarter of 2014, MarkWest vice president Scott Garner said yesterday at the Argus Condensate and Naphtha Markets conference in Houston, Texas. He did not specify where the company, which is the largest gas processor in the Marcellus shale formation, might export condensate from.
"We are actually looking at a number of locations on the east coast. Philadelphia would be an ideal candidate," Garner said.
MarkWest currently exports propane and butanes out of Sunoco's Marcus Hook export terminal near Philadelphia.
Condensate export has become a closely watched area for US oil producers and marketers, as companies explore ways to relieve a glut of light crudes and condensate production that has built with the US shale boom.
So far only Enterprise Products Partners and Pioneer Natural Resources have publicly acknowledged the successful export of lightly processed condensate, which they won approval for from federal regulators earlier this year. The condensate originated in the Eagle Ford shale in Texas and has been exported from Texas ports.
Other companies, including BHP Billiton, have said they will export condensate without pre-approval from regulators by using the same methods the other companies used.
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