Vaquero Midstream (The Woodlands, Texas) has commissioned its Caymus I natural gas processing plant in Pecos County, Texas. The new facility is supported by long-term commitments with major producers in the area. The UOP Russell 200-MMcfd cryogenic processing plant is located on 330 acres, allowing for expansion to four additional 200-MMcfd processing trains.

Vaquero Midstream notes it can grow processing volumes as its customers fully develop their assets and increase production. A Vaquero-owned and dedicated electrical substation directly connected to a 138-kva transmission
line offers continuous, uninterrupted power service to the facility.

Caymus I features oversized inlet liquids handling with condensate stabilization and storage, inlet compression to minimize field pressure, amine treating, propane refrigeration prior to cryogenic processing, and dual-drive residue compression. The plant has the flexibility to handle the Avalon, Wolfcamp, and Bone Springs shale formations for future drilling. Plant design facilitates high reliability, runtimes, and NGL recovery.

Caymus I is supplied by a system of about 80 miles of high-pressure gathering pipelines made up of 30-in. and 24-in. pipe connecting Pecos, Reeves, Ward, and Culberson counties to the facility and designed for volumes of more than 800 MMcfd. A 16-in. residue header connects multiple outlets at the Waha market, including connections with Atmos, Enterprise, Northern Natural Gas, and Oneok’s WestTex Transmission system connecting to the Roadrunner Gas Transmission Pipeline. The four connections allow access to more than 12 residue gas outlets accessing California, the Midwest, Gulf Coast, and Mexico. Vaquero’s 12-in. NGL header was commissioned with outlets connecting to Lone Star’s West Texas Gateway Pipeline and the Enterprise Chaparral systems.

“Situated less than five miles from the Waha hub, the plant’s location offers connections to multiple interstate and intrastate pipelines with built-in redundancies taking advantage of the premium markets at Waha,” said Gary E.
Conway, president and CEO of Vaquero Midstream. “Producers have access to the best available markets, best-in-class assets, and reliable service ensuring producers’ ability to maximize returns from their products.”