Propane Leads Increase in U.S. Petroleum Products Exports

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in the first half of 2016, the U.S. exported 4.7 million barrels per day (BBL/d) of petroleum products, which includes refined products such as gasoline and diesel, as well as natural gas liquids, such as propane. This is an increase of 500,000 BBL/d from the same period in 2015.

Distillates, which include diesel and heating oil, continue to represent the largest amount of petroleum products being exported from the U.S. Distillate exports averaged approximately 1.2 million BBL/d in the first half of 2016, which is an increase of about 50,000 BBL/d from the first half of 2015. Mexico remained the largest importer of U.S. distillates, averaging 147,000 BBL/d.

Exports of propane increased from 562,000 BBL/d to 793,000 BBL/d, representing the largest area of growth in U.S. petroleum products exports. The largest export destination for U.S. propane was Japan, which imported an average of 159,000 BBL/d during the first half of 2016. Industrial Info is tracking more than $101 billion in U.S. natural gas liquids (NGL) projects as part of our NGL Platform. These projects span the Terminals, Pipelines, Production Refining and Chemical Processing industries, and include ethane, propane and butane production, condensate splitters, ethylene and propylene production, and more.

Among the largest projects included in the NGL Platform are planned ethylene production facilities being constructed in the U.S. as part of the wave of inexpensive natural gas feedstock being produced from the shale drilling boom. Examples include Sasol North America Incorporated's (Houston, Texas) Lake Charles Chemical Project in Louisiana. For more information, see September 13, 2016, article - Sasol Faces Big Writedowns, Vows to Cut Costs as Prices Affect Natural Gas Projects in Louisiana, Alberta.

Other NGL projects include Energy Transfer Partners LP's (NYSE:ETP) (Dallas, Texas) Lone Star Express NGL Pipeline. The 533-mile pipeline has an estimated total investment value of $1 billion and will run from the Permian Basin to Mont Belvieu, Texas. The project began construction in late 2015 and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

In Mont Belvieu, Industrial Info is also tracking the construction of NGL fractionation trains 9 and 10 at Enterprise Products Partners LP's (NYSE:EPD) (Houston, Texas) fractionator complex. Each train will be able process 100,000 BBL/d of NGLs. The combined total investment value for both trains is $1 billion, and construction is planned to begin in 2017.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.