First ethane truck loaded in Marcus Hook

MARCUS HOOK » As Sunoco Partners loaded up its first tractor trailer full of ethane, borough officials said if that translates into employment it’s OK by them.

On Sept. 21, La Porte, Texasbased Gas Innovations loaded the first truck with ethane at the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex. The natural gas liquid comes directly from the Marcellus shale and signifies the Delaware County’s connection to the energy transformation occurring due to the availability of those raw materials in part of the state.

This move marked the first of its kind in the nation. Sunoco Partners officials said this refrigerated liquid ethane truck delivery was the first in the United States and that the material would be used for various purposes from energy research and development to cooling and other industrial applications.

“Any new jobs that it creates are obviously good for the borough.” Marcus Hook Borough Manager Andrew Weldon said. “If that results in new business and new activity and the creation of new jobs here in the borough of the western Marcus Hook, we’re happy.”

Representatives from the Texas company expressed their satisfaction as well and stated that previously they had purchased its ethane from Europe.

“For us, it complements our product line with a safe, secure, quality solution to provide ethane to our unique customer base,” Ashley Madray, vice president of Gas Innovations, said. “We are proud to be the first company in North America to ship refrigerated liquid ethane by truck.”

The ethane is being transported to Marcus Hook via the Mariner East pipeline. Natural gas liquids have been being moved through this pipeline for approximately three years.

A second phase of the project, Mariner East 2, is under construction over 350 miles throughout the state and has met resistance from residents with regards to safety.

In August, the state Environmental Hearing Board approved a settlement between Sunoco Pipeline LP and the Clean Air Council, Mountain Watershed Association and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, which had filed a suit after horizontal directional drilling disturbed some private wells in Chester County.

In the agreement, Sunoco Partners, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, agreed to various measures, including re-evaluating 47 drilling sites where return has occurred, offering some homeowners with private wells the option of having their water tested and notifying residents when drilling resumes.

In Marcus Hook, the facility has been undergoing extensive renovations transforming the former refinery into a facility to receive, process, store and ship out the natural gas liquids from the Marcellus Shale.

It includes a truck rack that loads two trucks simultaneously and will expand to handle additional demand.

Here, the ethane can be loaded onto trucks and ISO containers and it will be used for chemical feedstock and BTU and refrigerant applications.