Plains All American Pipeline LP and Enterprise Products Partners LP will construct a new condensate gathering system into their Three Rivers terminal and double the mainline capacity on the Eagle Ford Joint Venture (JV) Pipeline from Three Rivers to Corpus Christi, Plains said in a statement. The expansions are supported by a long-term production commitment and have an expected in-service date in third-quarter 2015.

The Eagle Ford JV Pipeline system is a 50:50 joint venture between Plains and Enterprise. It delivers crude oil and condensate via pipeline from Gardendale in La Salle County, Texas, to the Three Rivers and Corpus Christi refineries, as well as to other markets via marine transport facilities at Corpus Christi. The pipeline also supplies the Houston-area market through a connection to the Enterprise Crude Pipeline terminal at Lyssy in Wilson County, Texas.

As part of the expansion, the companies will build a new gathering system with about 55 miles of gathering and trunkline pipeline to connect Karnes County and Live Oak County production areas to the Three Rivers terminal. The companies will also construct an additional 70 mile, 20-inch pipeline from Three Rivers to Corpus Christi and storage and pumping capacity expansions at Three Rivers. Combined with a previously announced expansion, this project loops the Eagle Ford JV Pipeline from Gardendale to Corpus Christi and increases the JV system capacity to more than 600,000 barrels per day. The Eagle Ford JV Pipeline will connect with the Cactus Pipeline, which Plains is building from the Permian Basin at McCamey to the Eagle Ford JV Pipeline at Gardendale.

Plains and Enterprise are also planning construction of a new terminal on the Corpus Christi Ship Channel to support the increased volumes to be shipped via pipeline to the region. The dock will be able to handle a variety of ocean-going vessels and is planned to enter service by 2017.