Potential for worldwide natural gas liquid demand fuels Utica and Marcellus projects
Friday, August 5, 2016
Once ethane crackers, facilities and pipelines are completed in the Utica and Marcellus shale region, ethane products will be able to be shipped to markets worldwide.
The Business Journal reports that despite the industry downturn, prospects seem good that there will be an increased demand for NGLs. Pipeline projects such as Sunoco Logistics’ Mariner East 1 and Mariner East 2 are two pipelines that will be used to move Utica and Marcellus shale NGLs to East Coast ports, where they will then be shipped to international markets.
The Mariner East 1 pipeline began accepting ethane in January 2016. Mariner East 2, which will connect fractionators in Scio and Hopedale, Ohio to a Washington County, Pennsylvania, processor. Both the Mariner East 1 and 2 will help to reduce the cost of transporting natural gas liquids to East Coast terminals.
Read more: The Business Journal > LNG Exports Fuel Pipeline Projects in Ohio, Pa.
Related: Mariner East 1 transporting ethane, Mariner East 2 to be completed in 2017 – March 12, 2016
Leave a Comment
Marcellus & Utica Shale Well Map
Additional Shale Maps
Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.