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Enterprise Product Partners (NYSE:EPD) confirmed Tuesday that it has received a deepwater port license from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Sea Port Oil Terminal, allowing it to proceed with the development of the Texas Gulf Coast terminal capable of loading 2 million barrels per day of crude oil.
The SPOT terminal will be only the fourth in the United States capable of loading supertankers and is designed to load Very Large Crude Carriers and other crude oil tankers at up to 85,000 barrels per hour.
Enterprise Products (EPD) said two-way pipelines will be built connecting to its new Oyster Creek crude oil terminal in Brazoria County, Texas, to be built about 10 miles inland.
With a direct connection to Enterprise’s Houston ECHO terminal (EPD), as well as an extensive integrated midstream network, SPOT will offer access to more than 40 distinct grades of crude oil, including Midland WTI, the company said.
The terminal, initially proposed in 2019, has faced several delays, including opposition from environmental groups and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the DoT’s prior approval of the project, rejecting claims made by environmentalists that the government had failed to meet National Environmental Policy Act or Deepwater standards Port Act.