(Source: Datamonitor)Kinder Morgan Energy Partners has said that it is now transporting commercial batches of denatured ethanol along with gasoline shipments in its 16-inch Central Florida Pipeline between Tampa and Orlando, Florida.
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP) has invested approximately $10 million to modify the line for ethanol shipments which involved chemically cleaning the pipeline, replacing pipeline equipment that was incompatible with ethanol and expanding storage capacity at its Orlando terminal to handle ethanol shipments.
In addition to the Central Florida Pipeline (CFPL) ethanol project, KMP’s Products Pipeline segment has approved over $90 million in ethanol and biofuel projects including modifications to tanks, truck racks and related infrastructure for new or expanded ethanol and biodiesel service at various terminals in the southeast and Pacific Northwest.
Tom Bannigan, president of KMP Products, said: “We are excited about the commercial opportunities presented by the successful efforts in modifying Central Florida Pipeline and are assessing our other pipeline assets that may be similarly modified to meet expanding customer needs for biofuels.”