Sunoco Logistics to Invest $2.5 Billion for Mariner East 2

Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (Philadelphia) has completed a successful open season for Sunoco Pipeline LP’s Mariner East 2 project, the second phase of the company’s broader plan to provide pipeline transportation from the Marcellus and Utica shales. Mariner East 2 will expand the Mariner East service to deliver NGLs from the liquid-rich shale areas in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Ohio to Sunoco Logistics’ Marcus Hook Industrial Complex on the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, where it will be stored and distributed to various local, domestic, and international markets. Sufficient binding commitments have been received from shippers to enable the project to move forward.

Sunoco Logistics plans to invest about $2.5 billion for Mariner East 2, which is anticipated to provide an initial capacity of 275,000 bbld of NGLs such as propane, butane, and ethane. Combined with Mariner East 1 capacity of 70,000 bbld, the Mariner East project will provide 345,000 bbld of total NGL takeaway from the shale regions. Mariner East 1 is expected to begin propane service by the end of this year. For Mariner East 2, Sunoco Logistics plans to construct a pipeline from processing and fractionation complexes in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Ohio for transport to Marcus Hook. New facilities at Marcus Hook will store, chill, process, and distribute NGLs. Plans call for intrastate and interstate movements to meet the demands of various markets. Mariner East 2 is expected to be operational by the end of 2016, subject to regulatory and permit approvals.

“This vital energy project will provide a comprehensive solution in the region to transport, store, and process NGLs from the Marcellus and Utica shales, and will provide the foundation for the continuing rebirth of the local manufacturing sector,” said Michael J. Hennigan, president and CEO of Sunoco Logistics. “The project also enables the continuing development of the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex, as we convert a former refinery site into a world-class natural gas liquids hub in southeastern Pennsylvania.”

Sunoco Logistics will be investing about $3 billion in Pennsylvania for the Mariner East projects to provide a mechanism for moving resources within the commonwealth. As part of the investment, the Mariner East projects will allow for additional propane to be available to consumers in local markets during high-demand periods such as last winter via distribution terminals at points along the line. The rapid expansion of NGL production from the Marcellus and Utica shale deposits has significantly revitalized local economies across Pennsylvania, notes Sunoco Logistics, creating thousands of jobs and enhancing the country’s energy supply. As more NGLs flow throughout Pennsylvania to Marcus Hook, additional full-time employment opportunities will grow with long-term investment at the 800-acre site. The company is developing an NGL manufacturing complex, including a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant, at Marcus Hook for the manufacture of propylene.