ECHO is still under construction and the new land purchase would enable the company to hike its capacity to some 6.0 million barrels, Enterprise said Monday.

The facility was originally set to store some 4.5 million barrels of crude, spokesman Rick Rainey said.

The ECHO facility is expected to begin service in the second quarter of 2012.

“Strategically located near two large-diameter crude oil pipelines, including the Seaway system, the ECHO terminal gives shippers the flexibility to access the largest concentration of refineries in the world, as well as the Cushing storage and trading hub,” said A.J. “Jim” Teague, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Enterprise’s general partner.

“With its growing importance as an access point to the liquid Gulf Coast crude oil market, the ECHO terminal is being developed as a regional pricing point for the U.S. Gulf Coast crude market,” Teague said. 

ECHO will also serve as the receipt point for delivery of crude oil from the Eagle Ford Shale play in South Texas, Enterprise said.

Enterprise is nearing completion of a 147-mile pipeline that is expected to begin service in the second quarter of 2012 and will have 350,000 b/d of crude capacity, the company said.

Spokesman Rainey said this line, to be named Eagle Ford crude pipeline, will originate from Lyssy, Karnes County, Texas, and proceed to its Sealy, Texas, terminal. From there, the line would branch towards the 24-inch Rancho crude pipeline.

The Sealy terminal is a break-bulk terminal, and therefore not designed for long-term storage.

Phase II of the system, which includes an 80-mile pipeline extending the partnership’s crude shipping system into the far southwest portion of the Eagle Ford Shale, is expected to be in service during the first quarter of 2013. This 80-mile pipeline will run from La Salle County, Texas, to Lyssy, Texas.

Both phases are anchored by long-term contracts with shippers.