Enterprise Mid America Pipeline (MAPL) has received approval from the US Bureau of Land Management to construct the 234-mile Western Expansion Pipeline III (WEP III) natural gas liquids project. BLM’s approval followed completion of an environmental assessment and subsequent 30-day public comment period that found no significant impact likely to result from the project.
WEP III will transport NGL gathered in northwestern New Mexico to Hobbs, NM, and ultimately to markets in Mont Belvieu, Tex. The proposed pipeline includes a series of six loop segments and will follow an existing pipeline corridor.
The pipeline will cross about 67 miles of BLM land, 26 miles of tribal lands (Navajo Nation and Zia Pueblo) administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 27 miles of state land, and 114 miles of private lands. MAPL estimates construction could begin as early as this summer and will take 6-9 months to complete.
MAPL announced plans to add as much as 85,000 b/d of Rocky Mountain NGL capacity using 16-in. OD pipe following a successful open season in 2011. Shippers executed 10-year, firm, ship-or-pay transportation agreements totaling 38,500 b/d in the initial open season, with options which could reach the system’s 85,000-b/d design capacity (OGJ Online, May 6, 2011).
Contact Christopher E. Smith at [email protected].
