Kinder Morgan begins operation of Utopia pipeline system

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) announced this week that it placed its Utopia Pipeline into service and began operation of product delivery of ethane from Harrison County, Ohio to Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

The pipeline system has an initial capacity of 50,000 barrels per day (bpd) and can be expanded to more than 75,000 bpd. It extends approximately 270 miles.

“We are extremely pleased to have placed the Utopia Pipeline into service,” Don Lindley, president of natural gas liquids and products pipelines for KMI, said. “The project team, in coordination with local, state and federal agencies, has done a tremendous job developing a project that provides ethane takeaway capacity from the Utica shale to the growing petrochemical industry while also maintaining an open dialogue with the local communities to support their needs and consider alternatives. This interaction and creativity developed a project that worked for multiple stakeholders.”

The project included the construction of a 215-mile, 12-inch diameter pipeline constructed in Ohio from Harrison County to Fulton County, which connected to existing pipeline.

NOVA Chemicals Corporation (NOVA) executed a long-term transportation agreement with KMI to support the approximately $500 million Utopia East system. The ethane and ethane-propane mixtures transported through the system are expected to initially be used primarily as a feedstock for producing plastics.