Eagle Ford Shale plays in Port of Corpus Christi

CORPUS CHRISTI – Corpus Christi is reaping the benefit of the 24-county oil-and-gas play. More than $3.8 billion in projects are now under construction at the Port of Corpus Christi and another $12 billion are in permitting phase, according to port officials.

“Corpus Christi is about 70 miles out from the shale play,” says Eddie Martinez, the port’s business development director. That means many companies that once sought port facilities in Houston are now locating in Corpus for its proximity to the shale.

In the past year, the port has shifted from being an import facility into a net exporter as the supply of Eagle Ford crude has outstripped local refining capacity.

The largest project currently on the drawing board at the Port of Corpus Christi is a $10 billion Cheniere Energy Inc. natural-gas liquefaction plant. Additionally, logistics giant Trafigura is undergoing a $500 million expansion of its crude oil terminal to handle additional petroleum exports.

The port itself is constructing a $46 million rail yard to handle shipments of everything from Eagle Ford crude to pipe and frac sand destined for the oil fields.

Read more at the San Antonio Business Journal.