Ethane prices picked up this week as light NGLs showed greater strength, if not higher values, than their heavy counterparts for the second straight week at both Mont Belvieu and Conway.

NGL prices continued to fall for the eighth straight week at both Conway and Mont Belvieu as limited transportation and cracking capacity, increased processing capacity and falling crude oil prices are having negative effects on the market.

Natural gas liquids (NGL) and crude oil production has been the savior for shale play producers since the downturn in natural gas prices.

Natural gas liquid (NGL) prices remained relatively stable as the month of April came to a close.

Conway ethane margins dropped nearly 100% in the month of April as prices suffered from the delay in the start-up of transportation of E-P mix out of the hub to Nova Petrochemical’s plant in Sarnia, Canada.

Due to refinery production and falling demand, U.S. gasoline exports have skyrocketed over the past two years.

Light sweet crude oil saw a $1.47 increase in the price per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

TransCanada Corp., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has raised the cost estimate of the beleaguered Keystone XL pipeline expansion by US$1 billion to $13 billion and said it expects regulatory delays.

The Payne County community proudly proclaims itself “pipeline crossroads of the world,” and while it is relatively easy to get oil to Cushing, it is not as easy to get it out.

Ethane prices moved in opposite directions between Mont Belvieu and Conway as the Gulf Coast price rose 7% while the Mid-Continent price fell 22%, which pushed its frac spread into a negative zone.

Natural gas liquid (NGL) prices improved at Mont Belvieu, but were down slightly at Conway as crude prices and demand remains flat.

Ethane prices fell at both hubs this week due to several ethane crackers remaining down because of scheduled maintenance combined with weak propane prices.

Despite NGL prices remaining flat throughout the month, a sharp drop in natural gas prices helped support frac-spread margins in March at both Conway and Mont Belvieu.

Natural gas prices continued to drop to their lowest levels in a decade, thanks to a confluence of headwinds facing the industry.

Enterprise Products Partners LP (NYSE: EPD), Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) and DCP Midstream LLC announced a joint venture to build the 435-mile Front Range natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline in the DJ basin.

There is concern that propane could overtake ethane prices as the most preferred petrochemical feedstock due to the propane storage overhang. However, increased propane exports should alleviate this concern.

Natural gas liquid (NGL) prices were relatively flat this past week as they followed crude oil prices, which have been in a holding pattern the last two weeks.

The gap between dry gas prices and natural gas liquids (NGL) prices continued to widen this week, while gas prices fell at both hubs.

Natural gas liquids (NGL) prices and frac spread margins made gains the week of Feb. 29 as prices continued to stabilize and rebalance. Frac spread margins also benefitted from the continued depression of natural gas prices.

The abundance of natural gas from U.S. shale plays is a tremendous resource, but low prices are frustrating gas producers.

UOP LLC was selected to provide key technology to produce propylene in China.

Securing natural gas feedstock in the Middle East has become increasingly difficult in the last few years, threatening the region’s dominance as the most economical petrochemicals producer.

Aither Chemicals believes it has a competitive advantage when it comes to building a petrochemical plant in the Northeast.

Shell is developing plans to build a world-scale ethylene cracker with integrated derivative units in the Appalachian region of the U.S.