Energy Transfer LP’s Orbit joint venture with Satellite Petrochemical USA Corp. expects a 39.5% increase in ethane loadings from its Nederland, Tex., terminal in 2023, targeting total shipments of 60 million bbl. The export terminal provides ethane to Satellite’s crackers in China.
Energy Transfer provides Satellite with about 150,000 b/d of ethane under long-term contract. Orbit includes a 1.2-million bbl ethane storage tank and 80,000 b/d of ethane refrigeration. Ethane is supplied via a 20-in. OD pipeline from Energy Transfer's Mont Belvieu, Tex., fractionators.
The company is planning to bring its 150,000-b/d Frac VIII fractionator into operation third-quarter 2023, raising its total Mont Belvieu fractionation capacity to more than 1.15 million b/d.
Energy Transfer also expects to put its 200-MMcfd Bear cryogenic gas processing plant in Orla, Tex., into service second-quarter 2023. Its 200-MMcfd Grey Wolf started operations in December 2022 and the company said that “significant producer demand” was causing it to evaluate the necessity and timing of adding another Permian basin plant.
