Enterprise Products Partners L.P today announced that the process of injecting ethane into the Appalachia-to-Texas Express (“ATEX”) pipeline began in late November and will continue throughout December 2013. Commercial service is expected to begin in January 2014.

The 1,230-mile ATEX pipeline originates in Washington County, Pennsylvania and is, or will be, connected to four fractionators in the Marcellus/Utica Shale region. These plants include the MarkWest Houston plant in Pennsylvania and Cadiz plant in Ohio, the Blue Racer Natrium plant in West Virginia and the Utica East Ohio Scio plant in Ohio. ATEX will have an initial capacity of 125,000 barrels per day (“BPD”), expandable to at least 265,000 BPD. The project is supported by firm, ship-or-pay transportation agreements with 15-year terms. Approximately 65,000 BPD of those contracted volumes are expected to be transported initially, ramping up to more than 130,000 BPD beginning in 2018.

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