Markwest Energy Partners Lp stands as a pivotal player in the natural gas midstream sector, particularly within the prolific Marcellus and Utica Shale basins. As the largest natural gas processor in the Marcellus region, MarkWest provides fully integrated services encompassing processing, fractionation, storage, and marketing operations. Their extensive infrastructure network is crucial for connecting producers to key markets.
Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. (CEC) has forged a strong partnership with MarkWest Energy Partners LP since 2010, contributing significantly to the development and expansion of their operations across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. CEC’s comprehensive suite of services has been instrumental in supporting MarkWest’s growth trajectory in these key energy-producing regions.
CEC’s involvement spans a wide spectrum of critical areas, ensuring the seamless execution of MarkWest’s projects. These services include:
- Site Selection Services: Identifying optimal locations for MarkWest’s processing and fractionation facilities.
- Unmanned Aerial Services: Providing advanced aerial data collection for site analysis and monitoring.
- Civil Engineering: Designing and overseeing the civil infrastructure for plant sites and pipelines.
- Geotechnical Engineering: Assessing soil conditions and ensuring foundation stability.
- Structural Engineering: Designing robust and safe structures for processing plants and related facilities.
- Ecological Permitting: Navigating environmental regulations and securing necessary permits.
- Archeological Investigations: Conducting cultural resource surveys to ensure compliance.
- Construction Document Preparation: Creating detailed plans and specifications for construction.
- Site Construction Bid Services: Managing the bidding process for construction projects.
- Construction Management Services: Supervising construction activities to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget.
- CQA (Construction Quality Assurance): Ensuring adherence to quality standards throughout construction.
- Survey/GPS/GIS Services: Providing precise surveying and mapping services.
- Landscape Architecture/Land Planning: Designing aesthetically pleasing and functional site layouts.
- Site Grading/Earthwork Analysis: Optimizing site grading and managing earthwork volumes.
- Erosion & Sedimentation Control/NPDES Permitting: Implementing measures to control erosion and comply with environmental permits.
- Stormwater Management/BMP Design: Designing effective stormwater management systems.
- Wetlands and Waters Delineations: Identifying and delineating wetland areas for environmental compliance.
- Phase I & II Assessments: Conducting environmental site assessments.
- Flood Routing and FEMA Map Revisions: Analyzing flood risks and managing floodplain issues.
- Threatened & Endangered Species Surveys/Wildlife Surveys: Assessing potential impacts on protected species.
- Air Compliance and Permitting: Ensuring air quality compliance and obtaining necessary permits.
- Auditing and Compliance Plans: Developing and implementing environmental compliance plans.
- Slope Stability/Retaining Structure Design: Designing stable slopes and retaining structures.
- Site Characterization: Comprehensive site investigations to understand site conditions.
- ALTA NSPS Land Title Surveys: Providing accurate land title surveys.
MarkWest Energy Partners LP Gas Processing Facility – Project by CEC Inc.
MarkWest Energy Partners LP’s objective is to efficiently and reliably deliver natural gas midstream services. CEC plays a crucial role in helping MarkWest achieve this objective by providing expert guidance in site selection and pipeline routing. CEC’s approach involves thorough research to identify optimal sites and rights-of-way (ROW), considering factors such as stream and wetland impacts, geological hazards like landslide-prone soils and rock outcrops, and utility locations. This detailed analysis allows for informed decision-making in site and ROW selections, minimizing potential risks and streamlining project execution.
CEC’s expertise extends to preparing preliminary layout and grading plans, estimating earthwork volumes, and conducting constructability reviews. This proactive approach in the early stages of project development is invaluable to MarkWest Energy Partners LP, ensuring projects are well-planned and efficiently executed. To date, the collaboration between CEC and MarkWest has resulted in engineering and permitting designs for ten gas processing and fractionation facilities and over 600 miles of natural gas liquids (NGL) and natural gas pipelines.
MarkWest Energy Partners LP’s operational footprint is strategically located across key areas:
- Ohio, Southwest and Northwest Pennsylvania, and Northern West Virginia: These regions represent the heart of the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays.
Their extensive operations include:
- Gathering: A substantial 1.2 Bcf/d gathering capacity to collect natural gas from production sites.
- Processing: A significant 4.5 Bcf/d total cryogenic processing capacity to extract valuable natural gas liquids.
- NGL Pipelines: A network of NGL pipelines interconnecting key complexes like Sherwood, Mobley, Majorsville, and Houston, facilitating efficient transportation of processed liquids.
- Purity Ethane Pipeline: The purity ethane pipeline connecting the Keystone complex to the Mariner West project, further enhancing their transportation capabilities.
Marcellus Shale Region – Key Area of Operations for MarkWest Energy Partners LP
In Pennsylvania, MarkWest Energy Partners LP operates significant facilities including:
- Bluestone Plant (Butler County): A large-scale site featuring multiple cryogenic gas processing plants, a future de-ethanizer facility, rail yard facilities, and storage tank infrastructure.
- Houston Plant (Washington County): Another major hub with cryogenic gas processing plants, a de-ethanizer, and extensive rail facilities for product distribution.
- Harmon Creek (Washington County): A site under construction poised for significant expansion, including de-ethanizer and cryogenic processing plants.
In West Virginia, key MarkWest Energy Partners LP facilities include:
- Majorsville Plant (Ohio County): A large complex with numerous planned and operational cryogenic gas processing plants and de-ethanizer plants.
- Mobley Plant (Wetzel County): Featuring multiple cryogenic gas processing plants and ongoing expansion.
- Sherwood Plant (Doddridge County): A major processing hub with a significant number of planned and operational cryogenic and de-ethanizer plants.
- Smithburg (West Union, WV): A future site currently in permitting, planned for substantial cryogenic and de-ethanizer processing capacity.
Utica Shale Region – Strategic Growth Area for MarkWest Energy Partners LP
In Ohio, MarkWest Energy Partners LP’s operations include:
- Cadiz Condensate Plant and Truck Loading Facility (Harrison County): Focused on condensate stabilization and featuring a truck loading/unloading area to support gas processing activities.
- Hopedale (Jewell, OH): A fractionation facility with significant shared C3+ fractionation capacity.
- Seneca (Noble County, OH): A cryogenic processing plant with substantial processing capacity.
The partnership between CEC and MarkWest Energy Partners LP exemplifies a successful collaboration in the midstream energy sector. CEC’s comprehensive engineering and environmental services have been crucial in supporting MarkWest’s significant infrastructure development and operational success across the Marcellus and Utica Shale regions, solidifying MarkWest Energy Partners LP’s position as a leader in natural gas midstream services.
