Enterprise Products Partners LP purchased 37-acres of land adjacent to its Enterprise Crude Houston (ECHO) crude oil terminal, currently under construction in southeast Harris County, Tex, allowing expansion of the facility to 6 million bbl.
EPP said it is developing ECHO as a regional pricing point for the US Gulf Coast crude market and expects the project to begin service second-quarter 2012.
ECHO’s initial site, announced in late 2010, covered 150 acres (OGJ Online, Nov. 11, 2010) and had a planned 4.5 million bbl capacity.
ECHO will also serve as the receipt point for crude delivered from the Eagle Ford shale in South Texas. Enterprise is nearing completion of a 147-mile, 350,000-b/d pipeline also expected to begin service second-quarter 2012. Phase II of this pipeline, including an 80-mile extension into the far southwest portion of the Eagle Ford shale, is expected to enter service first-quarter 2013. Long-term contracts with shippers anchor both phases.
Enterprise cited ECHO’s proximity to two large-diameter crude oil pipelines, including the Seaway system, as enhancing shipper flexibility in both Houston and Cushing, Okla.
EPP and its Seaway joint-venture partner Enbridge Inc. recently concluded an open season for capacity on both Seaway and a new pipeline running from ECHO to the Port Arthur-Beaumont refining center (OGJ Online, Jan. 5, 2012).
