The expansion will increase the pipeline’s capacity to 470,000 bbl/d of light and medium crude oil grades to accommodate additional volumes expected from Plains’ 499 km, 200,000 bbl/d Cactus Pipeline that is currently under construction.
The Eagle Ford Joint Venture (JV) pipeline expansion is expected to cost approximately $US120 million and is expected to be in service in the second quarter of 2015.
The Eagle Ford JV pipeline system, most of which is currently in service and expected to be completed by 30 September 2013, is a 50/50 joint venture between Plains and Enterprise that serves the Three Rivers and Corpus Christi refineries, located in Texas, and other markets via marine transport facilities at Corpus Christi.
The pipeline system supplies the Houston-area market through a connection to the Enterprise Crude Pipeline terminal at Lyssy in Wilson County, Texas.
The pipeline expansion will be completed in stages that include adding pumping capacity and looping certain segments of the existing system. The expansion also includes constructing an additional 2.3 MMbbl of operational storage capacity in Gardendale, Tilden and Corpus Christi.
The Cactus Pipeline is being constructed by Plains from McCamey, Texas in the Permian Basin area to Gardendale in La Salle County, Texas. The pipeline will have an initial capacity of 200,000 bbl/d.