NATRIUM - A $500 million investment by Dominion Resources into a natural gas processing facility is taking shape in Marshall County.
The plant, located in southern Marshall County along W.Va. 2, is a key part of the future for Dominion Resources and its subsidiaries, Dominion Energy and Dominion Transmission, said Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Farrell.
"Construction of Phase I of the Natrium gas processing and fractionation plant, with access to both the Marcellus and the Utica shales, is moving forward and scheduled to be in service in December," he said.
Article Photos
Touring the Dominion Resources Natrium
processing plant
construction site are, from left, Tom Gump, facility superintendent; Timothy Greenier,
construction project supervisor; David Fitch, engineering manager; and Bob Orndorff, managing director of state and local government affairs.
Photo by Casey Junkins
"At Dominion Energy, the growth program at our natural gas infrastructure business continues to be fueled by the vast Marcellus and Utica shale formations."
"There is a lot of activity here," added Dominion spokesman Charles Penn. "We've got trucks, cranes and dirt movers all over the place. We are on schedule for completion."
In addition to the 70-acre Natrium plant, Farrell said the Appalachian Gateway pipeline project, designed to transport natural gas from West Virginia and Pennsylvania to markets across the eastern U.S., should be in service later this year.
The pipeline facilities - starting near the Ohio River in southern Marshall County and traveling eastward toward the Pittsburgh area - will include construction of about 110 miles of 20-inch, 24-inch and 30-inch diameter pipeline between West Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well as four new gas compressor stations to add about 17,000 horsepower.
At the Natrium facility, which is located between American Electric Power's Kammer and Mitchell power plants and the PPG Industries plant, Dominion plans to be able to process 200 million cubic feet of natural gas per day upon completing the project's first phase this year. The capacity is expected to double to 400 million cubic feet per day once the company receives further supply commitments.
Once the "wet" Marcellus and Utica shale gas travels to the Dominion plant via the company's existing pipeline network, the ethane, butane, propane and other natural gas liquids will be separated from the "dry" methane gas so that all the products can be individually marketed.
Chesapeake Energy, currently the Ohio Valley's most active natural gas driller, has agreed to supply the Dominion facility with 100 million cubic feet of natural gas per day for processing. Chesapeake also maintains an option to provide the plant with an additional 100 million cubic feet per day.
Chesapeake is known in the industry as a "producer" because the company sells the gas that it pumps out of the ground. Because the wet gas requires processing before it can go to market, Chesapeake and other producers send their gas to companies such as Dominion, Caiman Energy or MarkWest Liberty for processing. The separated gas products are then ready for use, with the ethane possibly going to a cracker plant.