A unit of Denver-based Meritage Midstream Services II LLC has begun operations at the Steamboat I cryogenic processing plant in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin (PRB), adding 200 MMcf/d of natural gas capacity.

West of Douglas, WY, in Converse County, Meritage unit Thunder Creek Gas Services LLC completed the work needed to begin commercial operations at the natural gas liquids (NGL) facility.

The Steamboat I plant added a 60-mile, 20-inch diameter trunkline to link the processing facility to the Meritage’s Thunder Creek gas gathering system in the basin.

Steamboat I more than doubles Meritage’s capacity in the PRB, joining its 50 Buttes plant in Campbell County, which also serves basin producers.

Meritage in total has 380 MMcf/d of processing capacity within the Thunder Creek system, including multiple processing plants and 1,600 miles of gas gathering pipelines. Nearly half of the PRB rigs are supported by the Meritage system, management said.

Meritage management said it also has signed a multi-year gathering and processing agreement with an undisclosed PRB producer.