Sending a barge loaded with a
million gallons of natural gas liquids from Weirton to Houston via the Ohio
River is an indication of the Mountain State's "very formidable" potential as an
inland port, the executive director of the West Virginia Public Port Authority
(WVPPA) says.
The gas liquids, known as wet
gas, were mined in the Marcellus and Utica shale fields throughout the region
and stored at a tank farm at the Half Moon Industrial Park in Weirton.
On Nov. 25, they were loaded
on the tanker barge at the Pike Island Marine Terminal in Weirton and towed down
the Ohio, arriving at the Mississippi River on Dec. 2.
WVPPA Executive Director James
York said Weirton is one of just six designated inland port districts in the
state, encompassing all of Brooke
and Hancock counties.
Strategically located between
the mid-Atlantic seaports and Chicago, the Weirton port district is 40 miles long and has river, rail and interstate
highway access, as well as being within a 30-minute drive of an international
airport. York said all that makes it "a prime location … for businesses to set
up."
York said a study done earlier
in the year rated the Weirton port district as "strategically significant" to
the state's inland port system, saying it could "potentially be an economic
engine" for the state.
In announcing the successful
barge operation, port officials said three unloading stations currently support
the terminal, but a new four-bay station being built with local labor is nearly
finished. When it's done, it will be capable of unloading in excess of 5,000
barrels of wet gas per hour.
Eventually, they plan to carve
out a second four-bay station. And if all goes as planned, they said the port will
eventually be a fully operational, multi-modal facility moving liquids by truck,
rail and barge and offering enhanced communications, electronics and power
capabilities.
York said the Ohio River gives
the Mountain State a leg up on the competition, particularly since it's so
easily accessible by rail, river and overland highways.
"That's the beauty of
Weirton," he said, saying Northern Panhandle is positioned to capitalize on the
opportunity.
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