Barnett

Louis Dreyfus Energy Services announced plans to install up to 80 MMcf/d of gathering pipeline this year to serve the southern Barnett Shale play in North Texas. The company said Tuesday the project could lead to construction of a large-diameter pipeline should the region’s gas development increase substantially. Louis Dreyfus has nearly completed the initial 20 MMcf/d phase of the new gas gathering and processing system in Eastland, Erath, Bosque and Hill counties, TX. The gathering system will be expanded later this year to 40-80 MMcf/d. The project consists of converting existing pipeline capacity to natural gas in a corridor from Taylor to Navarro Counties with the capability to move gas both east and west. Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and its subsidiaries plan to put additional capacity in service as the region develops. Louis Dreyfus Energy Services also owns a 20% stake in the 850 MMcf/d Sea Robin gas processing plant; a 1,400-mile NGL pipeline from the Permian Basin to a storage facility in Hull, TX; a 4.5-million-barrel propane/butane storage and terminal facility in Hattiesburg, MS; and a 50% interest in Mont Belvieu Storage Partners, among other assets.