BIS Issues Notice of Intent to Deny Applications for Licenses to Export Three Ethane Cargoes to China
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. ("Enterprise") (NYSE:EPD) today announced that yesterday, June 3, 2025, Enterprise received notice from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security ("BIS") of BIS's intent to deny Emergency Authorization Requests ("EARs") with regard to three proposed cargoes of ethane to China, totaling approximately 2.2 million barrels. Per the Notice, Enterprise has up to twenty days to respond to BIS with any comments or rebuttals with regard to these affected EARs. Unless Enterprise is advised by the 45th day after the date of the notification, these denials will become final without further notice.
As previously disclosed on May 29, 2025 in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Enterprise with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on the afternoon of Friday, May 23, 2025, BIS notified Enterprise of new licensing requirements for exports of "ethane and butane, saturated, having a purity of 95 percent or more by volume" to China. This new licensing requirement was effective immediately (the licensing requirement for butane was subsequently withdrawn).
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration ("EIA"), total U.S. ethane production in 2024 was approximately 2.8 million barrels per day ("BPD") and total U.S. ethane exports were approximately 492,000 BPD. U.S. ethane exports to China were approximately 227,000 BPD in 2024, representing 8 percent of total U.S. ethane production and 46 percent of total U.S. ethane exports. Enterprise's marine export terminal on the Houston Ship Channel loaded approximately 213,000 BPD of ethane in 2024 of which approximately 40 percent, or 85,000 BPD, were destined to Chinese markets. Ethane exports destined to China from Enterprise's Morgan's Point facility in 2024 represented only 37 percent of total U.S. ethane exports to China for 2024. Currently, Enterprise estimates that total U.S. ethane exports to China has increased to approximately 290,000 BPD in 2025.
Company Information and Use of Forward-Looking Statements
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. is one of the largest publicly traded partnerships and a leading North American provider of midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals. Services include: natural gas gathering, treating, processing, transportation and storage; NGL transportation, fractionation, storage and marine terminals; crude oil gathering, transportation, storage and marine terminals; petrochemical and refined products transportation, storage and marine terminals; and a marine transportation business that operates on key U.S. inland and intracoastal waterway systems. The partnership's assets currently include more than 50,000 miles of pipelines; over 300 million barrels of storage capacity for NGLs, crude oil, petrochemicals and refined products; and 14 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage capacity.
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein that address activities, events, developments or transactions that Enterprise and its general partner expect, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including required approvals by regulatory agencies, the possibility that the anticipated benefits from such activities, events, developments or transactions cannot be fully realized, the possibility that costs or difficulties related thereto will be greater than expected, the impact of competition, and other risk factors included in Enterprise's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. Except as required by law, Enterprise does not intend to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Libby Strait, Vice President, Investor Relations, (713) 381-4754
Rick Rainey, Vice President, Media Relations, (713) 381-3635