Mariner East 2 pipeline construction resumes

Sunoco Pipeline, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer LP, has resumed construction of its 20-in. OD, 350-mile Mariner East 2 NGL pipeline in Upper Uwchlan Township, Chester County, Pa. Work will take 5-10 weeks.

The company earlier this month received approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to change the installation method for the 3,184-ft line segment from a horizontal directional drill (HDD) to an open cut. The modification also changed the pipeline’s route slightly.

This is one of the last sections of the pipeline still to be completed. Once complete it will bring Mariner East’s system capacity to 345,000 b/d. The 16-in. OD Mariner East 2X pipeline has already been installed in this area and will add another 250,000 b/d.

DEP also required that Sunoco dredge the top 6-in. of sediment from 15 acres of Marsh Creek State Park’s Ranger Cove, the site of an August 2020 drilling fluid spill, and replace all fish, turtle, and bird structures impacted. Dredging is expected to begin in April 2022 and be completed by July 2022.

Construction on Mariner East 2 stopped after Sunoco spilled the drilling fluid. Work had begun in February 2017 with an expectation that it would be complete by end-2019.