Total U.S. LPG exports soared in March to a record-high 2,249 Mb/d, up 281 Mb/d from February and 433 Mb/d higher than March 2022. Gulf Coast LPG exports also surged to an all-time high as the Enterprise, Targa and Energy Transfer terminals had record shipments. Exports to Europe were very strong at 451 Mb/d, up 123 Mb/d from February, while shipments to Latin America increased by 124 Mb/d to 388 Mb/d. LPG exports to Asia declined to 1,119 Mb/d, down 55 Mb/d from February.
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- Analyst Insight
August U.S. Ethane Exports up From July
U.S> ethane exports in August surpass July outflows
- Blog
Where You Gonna Go? - Navigating the Surplus in U.S. LPG and Ethane Production
Since 2011, U.S. natural gas liquids (NGL) production has more than tripled, while domestic demand has grown only modestly. Consequently, the only way NGL markets could balance was a dramatic increase in exports. Today, over 70% of U.S. propane production is exported, with the majority going to overseas markets, while other NGLs see varying export levels: 40% for butanes, 25% for natural gasoline, and 18% for ethane. Although U.S. NGL production growth is slowing, we still project an increase of 1.5 MMb/d over the next decade and a half, with 85% of that growth coming from the Permian Basin. As U.S. ethane and LPG production continues to rise, nearly all the export growth is expected to head to the Asia/Pacific region, with a significant portion going to one country: China. But is this outlook for U.S. NGLs realistic? And do we have adequate infrastructure — ranging from gathering systems to processing plants and fractionators, and from export terminals to the right kind of ships — to handle all of these volumes? In one of his hit tunes, Toby Keith clearly identified the problem for us: “Where You Gonna Go? And What Ya Gonna Do When You Get There?” These are key NGL market themes that we'll be exploring at our upcoming NACON conference on October 24 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Houston and that we’ll introduce in today’s RBN blog.
- Blog
Take a Look at Me Now - Growing LPG, Ethane Exports Propel Enterprise Toward Bold Expansion Goals
LPG and ethane exports out of the U.S. continue to grow rapidly and are expected to reach 3.4 MMb/d by 2030. They are also critical parts of a plan by Enterprise Products Partners to expand its total liquid hydrocarbon exports to 100 MMbbl per month (100 MMb/month), a roughly 50% increase from current levels for crude oil, LPG and ethane, refined products and petchems. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll take a closer look at Enterprise’s LPG and ethane exports and how much they need to grow to reach the company’s ambitious goal.
