Enterprise, Enbridge and Anadarko to develop Texas Express Pipeline

HOUSTON & THE WOODLANDS, Texas - Enterprise Products Partners L.P., Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. on March 6 announced that shippers have executed long-term contracts for capacity on the Texas Express Pipeline (TEP) being developed by the joint venture.

The shippers, which include unaffiliated shippers, have tendered 15-year, ship-or-pay transportation agreements containing volume commitments that total 232,000 barrels per day (b/d). The contracts also include an option provision allowing shippers to increase their volume commitment.

Originating near Skellytown in Carson County, Texas, the 20-inch diameter TEP mainline will extend approximately 580 miles to Enterprise's natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation and storage complex at Mont Belvieu, Texas, and will provide access to other third-party facilities in the area.

The pipeline will provide much-needed takeaway capacity for producers in West Texas, the Rocky Mountains, southern Oklahoma and the Mid-continent area, giving them access to the largest NGL market along the Gulf Coast and the opportunity to maximize the value of their NGLs. Production from the Rockies, Permian Basin and Mid-continent will be delivered into TEP through Enterprise's existing Mid-America Pipeline System (MAPL) which extends north through Oklahoma into Conway, Kansas, and south into the Permian Basin.

"This joint venture with Enbridge and Anadarko brings together partners with unique and complementary strengths to provide an industry solution that addresses the need for flow assurance and market choices for producers, as well as reliable supplies of price-advantaged, natural gas-derived feedstocks to meet the increasing demand of petrochemical operators," said Michael A. Creel, president and chief executive officer of Enterprise's general partner. "For Enterprise, this project is a 'bolt-on' expansion that enhances the value of our integrated midstream network of assets, including the pipelines that will feed TEP, as well as our fractionators, storage facilities and distribution network at Mont Belvieu, which will be fed by the new pipeline."

The joint venture also includes two new NGL gathering systems. The first will connect TEP to natural gas processing plants in the Anadarko/Granite Wash production area located in the Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma. The second NGL gathering system will connect the new pipeline to Barnett Shale natural gas processing plants located in Central Texas. Wider access to multiple production areas, in addition to a competitive transportation fee structure, makes this an attractive option for producers and natural gas processors. Enterprise will construct and operate the pipeline, while Enbridge will construct and operate the new gathering systems.