MarkWest Processing Gas in Wetzel County; Fined $306K For Spoiled Stream

MarkWest Fined $306K For Spoiled Stream

From an article by Casey Junkins, The Wheeling Intelligencer, February 14, 2013

Before investing $1.9 billion for new natural gas processing infrastructure in Ohio’s Utica Shale, MarkWest Energy will pay a $306,000 fine for polluting a stream across the Ohio River near its Mobley plant in Wetzel County.

“While the landslides at our Mobley facility were unforeseen and regrettable, MarkWest accepts responsibility for activities at its facilities,” said Robert E. McHale, manager of environmental regulatory affairs for MarkWest.

According to an order from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, MarkWest allegedly violated the state’s Water Pollution Act at the Mobley construction site on multiple occasions between October 2011 and July 2012. The DEP report notes serious erosion and multiple soil slips resulted in the pollution and obstruction of an unnamed tributary of the North Fork of Fishing Creek with sediment, trees and other debris.

“Following the occurrence of the landslides, which resulted in sediment entering tributaries from the landslides, MarkWest worked closely with the WV DEP to remediate the affected areas – and will continue this work until the impacts are fully alleviated,” McHale said.

Along with companies such as Dominion Resources and Williams Partners, MarkWest processes the natural gas piped in by drillers such as Chesapeake Energy, Antero Resources, Gulfport Energy and others. The processors strip the dry methane part of the gas stream away from the liquid portions – ethane, propane, butane and pentane – so the separated products can be marketed.

Public comment will be accepted until March 22. To file a comment or gain more information, write to the West Virginia Division of Water and Waste Management at 601 57th St. SE, Charleston, WV 25304; or call 304-926-0495.

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MarkWest Energy Partners Announces Startup of Mobley Processing Facility in Wetzel County, WV

Press release from MarkWest via BusinessWire

MarkWest Energy Partners has announced the commencement of operations of the first Mobley processing facility located in Wetzel County, West Virginia. The 200 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) plant supports the development of rich-gas from the Marcellus Shale by EQT Corporation, Magnum Hunter Resources Corporation and other producers.

The Mobley facility is currently operating at approximately 60% utilization and will continue to experience accelerated volume growth due to the ongoing drilling success of MarkWest’s producer customers operating in the area. MarkWest expects to complete construction of its second Mobley facility, a 120 MMcf/d plant, during the first quarter of 2013, and by the fourth quarter of 2013 bring online a third facility with 200 MMcf/d of processing capacity.

Once these announced projects are operational, the Mobley complex will have approximately 520 MMcf/d of processing capacity in the significant wet-gas fairway of northern West Virginia. The natural gas liquids (NGLs) recovered at Mobley are being transported via MarkWest’s NGL pipeline gathering network to the 60,000 barrels per day (Bbl/d) Houston fractionation complex in Washington County, PA, where they are separated into valuable purity products and marketed on behalf of producer customers.

“The initial Mobley project presented a significant challenge because of the remote location and mountainous terrain,” said Frank Semple, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of MarkWest. “With the initial plant now online and expansions well underway, our producer customers now have the infrastructure needed to efficiently develop their prolific Marcellus Shale acreage in northern West Virginia.”

MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P. is a master limited partnership engaged in the gathering, transportation, and processing of natural gas; the transportation, fractionation, marketing, and storage of natural gas liquids; and the gathering and transportation of crude oil. MarkWest has extensive natural gas gathering, processing, and transmission operations in the southwest, Gulf Coast, and northeast regions of the United States, including the Marcellus Shale, and is the largest natural gas processor and fractionator in the Appalachian region.

Tagged as: drilling, erosion, fracking, marcellus shale, natural gas, rich gas, sedimentation, wet gas