AltaGas commissions Joffre ethane extraction plant

Jan. 3, 2003
Calgary-based AltaGas Services reported that commissioning of the Joffre ethane extraction plant's major systems and equipment is under way, and pre-production testing will continue into this month.

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Jan 3 -- Calgary-based AltaGas Services Inc. reported that commissioning of the Joffre ethane extraction plant's major systems and equipment is under way, and pre-production testing will continue into this month. Construction commenced in January 2002 and was completed in mid-November.

AltaGas and Taylor NGL Ltd. are 50:50 partnership owners of the $45 million (Can.) plant, with Taylor serving as operator. The plant is one of a number of "straddle" plants processing natural gas liquids in Alberta that are located on major gas pipeline systems in the province (OGJ, Dec. 16, 2002, p. 46).

Located adjacent Nova Chemical Corp.'s world-scale Joffre, Alta., petrochemical complex in south-central Alberta, the plant will recover ethane, propane, butane, and condensate from the fuel gas used at the complex. The new Joffre plant is capable of processing 250 MMcfd of gas and has production capacity of 10,400 b/d of natural gas liquids, AltaGas said. The Joffre plant capacity expands AltaGas's total net inlet extraction processing capacity to about 350 MMcfd of gas.

Ethane production from the Joffre plant has been sold to Pittsburgh-based Nova Chemicals Corp. under a long-term cost-of-service contract, and the propane, butane, and condensate are being sold to Alberta.

AltaGas and Taylor plan to jointly develop projects to further enhance the value of the plant.