lease condensate

Production of lease condensate at the wellhead and plant condensate from processing natural gas liquids (NGLs) has increased rapidly in the Ohio Utica over the past two years. Timely investment by local refiner Marathon and infrastructure developments to ship condensate to Gulf Coast refiners have proved the primary market for Utica condensate so far. The proximity of the region to diluent pipelines to Canada has also prompted infrastructure projects. Today we describe projects to deliver condensate to Alberta.

Two years ago production of super light crude known as condensate in the South Texas Eagle Ford was surging. Most Gulf Coast refineries did not want to process this light material and it was discounted to regular crude. The discounts led to a number of project announcements to build stand-alone condensate splitters – a kind of simple refinery that would process it into refined products. During 2014 these projects were cast into doubt by the easing of condensate export restrictions that appeared to offer a less expensive solution to the condensate challenge. More recently the possibily of declining production could also threaten splitter economics. But splitters are still being built and coming online this year and next – with two new projects announced recently.  Today we review current splitter projects in the light of market developments.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), liquids production from the Utica shale in Ohio (identified as crude oil but more likely all lease condensate) has more than trebled since January 2014 from 19 Mb/d to a projected 64 Mb/d in May 2015. Regional production of plant condensate from natural gas processing has also increased with the build out of gas processing capacity in the Utica and nearby Marcellus plays and could reach 50 Mb/d by the end of 2015. Midstream companies have been busy developing infrastructure to get this condensate to market. Today we look at developing infrastructure and markets for Utica condensate.

Recent rumors coming out of Washington DC suggest that changes to US regulations that severely limit exports of US crudes are being discussed with a view to changes – perhaps even repeal. One idea that keeps popping up is a change to allow the export of lighter hydrocarbons that have a high API Gravity (above 55 or some other number), classified by the US rules as crude, but known to the rest of the world as condensate. Allowing the export of such field condensates could alleviate an oversupply glut of these lighter hydrocarbons that US refineries are not best configured to process. Today we ponder the impact of an end to the prohibition of condensate exports.

Growing Canadian production of oil sands bitumen requires diluent to blend it to pipeline flow specifications. The resulting demand for diluent exceeds local Canadian supply from plant condensate production (aka, natural gasoline) – leading to imports from the US of more than 150 Mb/d in 2013 – a figure expected to grow to 460 Mb/d by 2018. That expectation for future import growth is based on the assumption that Canadian condensate supplies would remain relatively flat at about 140 Mb/d. But could the developing Duvernay gas shale play in Western Alberta turn those estimates on their head? Today we investigate the consequences for US condensate demand.

New and proposed projects to build condensate splitters along the Gulf Coast – including the first one due online at Kinder Morgan’s Galena Park facility in Houston this June, will output more than 60 percent naphtha. Unlike most refineries, stand-alone condensate splitters have little flexibility of feedstock or outputs so their economics rely on finding strong demand for naphtha. Today we discuss possible sources of naphtha demand.

Growing condensate supplies from tight oil shale plays are sloshing up at Gulf Coast refineries and being discounted by refiners that don’t need more of the ultra-light crude.  Meanwhile there are established international markets for condensate. The resolution seems obvious – just export the surplus condensate and import the kinds of crude oil needed by Gulf Coast refineries.  That’s likely okay if the export destination is Canada for use as bitumen diluent, but there is a finite limit to that market.  However exporting raw condensate to destinations outside North America is particularly tricky under U.S. crude-oil export restrictions. Today we delve into the nuances of what the export rules say and what the market is doing to deal with these regulations.

<p>Last week we introduced a blog series from contributor Ann Davis Vaughan on condensates – the hydrocarbon mixture that is now being produced from tight oil shale plays in increasing quantities.</p>