Enbridge Inc. said Monday it is planning a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline from the Marcellus Shale in southern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia to markets in the Midwest.

The proposed pipeline would deliver into existing NGL infrastructure in the Chicago area, including the Aux Sable facility, which processes gas from Alliance Pipeline and fractionates NGLs from various supply sources. Additional NGL fractionation capacity is available at the plant.

“The Chicago area has substantial markets to accommodate the large volumes of NGLs that are expected to be associated with future Marcellus production. Other NGL markets, including Ontario, can also be accessed from Chicago utilizing existing infrastructure. This proposed pipeline will provide an excellent long-term solution for development of this promising play, as it will enable NGL production to grow unconstrained for many years,” said Stephen J.J. Letwin, Enbridge executive vice president, gas transportation.

Enbridge said it will construct, own and operate the pipeline and is evaluating routing and market alternatives. An open season is expected during the second quarter. For information contact Troy Rilea at (403) 231-5988.

Last December Range Resources Corp. said completion of the third phase of a Marcellus Shale gas processing infrastructure expansion program had been completed, adding 120 MMcf/d of cryogenic processing capacity. The increased ability to process the rich Marcellus gas from southwestern Pennsylvania would improve the company’s netbacks, Range said (see Daily GPI, Dec. 15, 2009).

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