Enterprise starts US ethane export terminal

OREANDA-NEWS. July 13, 2016. Enterprise Products Partners began initial startup and commissioning today at its new Morgan's Point ethane export terminal at La Porte, Texas, according to a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The startup is estimated to continue through 1:00 PM CT on 15 July.

The export facility will have a loading rate of about 200,000 b/d and is supported by long-term contracts with Indian petrochemical producer and refiner Reliance Industries (RIL) and Brazilian petrochemical producer Braskem.

RIL ordered six very large ethane carriers (VLECs) ahead of the ethane terminal's startup for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2016 and has invested \\$1.5bn to revamp its cracker facilities, with the expectation of reaching a total ethylene production capacity of about 3.4mn t/yr by the end of 2016. Braskem entered into a 10-year ethane supply contract with Enterprise, which will meet up to 15pc of the feedstock needs for Braskem's cracker in Camacari, Bahia state.