Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP) today announced it has
entered into five new CO2 sales contracts during the first
quarter that combined total more than 2 trillion cubic feet with
aggregate daily contract quantities exceeding 440 million cubic feet per
day (MMcfd) at their peak. These volumes, the great majority of which is
contracted by third-parties, will support new and existing CO2
flood projects operated by the purchasers in the Permian Basin of West
Texas and have a volume weighted average term of nearly 16 years.
“CO2 continues to be in strong demand, as enhanced oil
recovery operations are increasing in response to sustained higher oil
prices,” said CO2 President Tim Bradley. “As a result, we are
realizing excellent opportunities to expand our CO2
operations and bring much needed supply to our customers.”
Bradley noted that one of the contracts includes transporting CO2
via Kinder Morgan’s 91-mile Eastern Shelf Pipeline to a project near the
company’s Katz Field. The contract will commence in 2014 and is expected
to increase CO2 transported via the pipeline to more than
130 MMcfd, which will require additional pump stations to bolster
capacity.
In response to increasing CO2 demand, Kinder Morgan is
working on a previously announced $255 million expansion at its Doe
Canyon Unit CO2 source field in southwestern Colorado to
increase capacity from 105 MMcfd to 170 MMcfd. The expansion will
include installation of both primary and booster compression with
construction beginning in the second quarter this year. The primary
compression is expected to be in service in the fourth quarter of 2013
and the booster compression is targeted to be complete in the second
quarter of 2014. The company also plans to drill 19 more wells during
the next 10 years, which will increase production from 105 MMcfd to 170
MMcfd.
Additionally, Kinder Morgan recently closed on its previously announced
acquisition of the St. Johns CO2 source field and related
assets located in Apache County, Ariz., and Catron Country, N.M. Well
testing and predevelopment activities are underway for this potential
new source field.
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP) is a leading pipeline
transportation and energy storage company in North America. KMP owns an
interest in or operates approximately 29,000 miles of pipelines and
180 terminals. Its pipelines transport natural gas, gasoline, crude oil,
CO2 and other products, and its terminals store petroleum
products and chemicals and handle such products as ethanol, coal,
petroleum coke and steel. KMP is also the leading provider of CO2
for enhanced oil recovery projects in North America. One of the largest
publicly traded pipeline limited partnerships in America, KMP and Kinder
Morgan Management, LLC (NYSE: KMR) have an enterprise value of over $40
billion. The general partner of KMP is owned by Kinder Morgan, Inc.
(NYSE: KMI). Combined, KMI, KMP and KMR constitute the largest midstream
energy entity in the United States with an enterprise value of over $65
billion. For more information, please visit www.kindermorgan.com.
This news release includes forward-looking statements. Although
Kinder Morgan believes that its expectations are based on reasonable
assumptions, it can give no assurance that such assumptions will
materialize. Important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements herein
are enumerated in Kinder Morgan’s Forms 10-K and 10-Q as filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
