Houston-based Rock River Resources plans to build a crude oil processing plant and rail terminaling facility in Green River, UT. Called the Emery project, it will require a capital investment of over $230 million. Groundbreaking is planned for the first phase of the project later this year with operations expected in 2014. “Rock River Resources has received strong support from state and local community leaders and we have worked closely with them during the early phases of the project,” said COO Jeff Beicker. The first segment of the project will include a terminaling and rail loading facility. The terminaling facility is projected to be operational in 2014. The second segment will be a 10,000 b/d topping plant that will process local crudes and condensates into naphtha, fuel oil, diesel and jet fuel. The topping plant should be operational by mid-2015. The final segment of the project will be a processing plant for regional wax crudes that will produce refined paraffin waxes and lube oils. The wax plant should be operational by mid 2016.

Enterprise Products Partners LP is further expanding its LPG export terminal on the Houston Ship Channel to increase its capability to load fully-refrigerated, low-ethane propane. Enterprise will increase its loading capacity by an additional 1.5 million bbl, or three cargoes per month. This will increase total design capacity to 9 million bbl per month. Completion of the project is expected in the first quarter of 2015. Enterprise completed an expansion of the terminal in March that increased propane loading capacity to 7.5 million bbl per month from 4 million. Since startup, the facility has performed above expectations and currently is loading more than 8 million bbl per month of fully-refrigerated, low-ethane propane, Enterprise said. “It is expected to continue to perform at this level as production of natural gas liquids from domestic shale plays increases and demand for propane as a feedstock for global ethylene crackers continues to grow.”