Kinder-Morgan Splitter Tower traverses streets of Galena Park

May 28, 2014 North Channel Star Front Page 0

KINDER-MORGAN’s T-102 SPLITTER made the trip down Clinton Drive last Monday, from the old Brown & Root dock on the ship channel, out on the roadway, and finally into the driveway of their new plant on the east side of Galena Park. The Tower is 20 feet in diameter, and when transported it is over 25 feet high and 200 feet long. Help was needed from the Galena Park police department for traffic control, and Centerpoint Energy to raise wires and traffic lights to make clearance for the height of the tower. Plant Manager Derrick Bockius reported that the move went as planned, and no major problems were encountered, due to advance planning and some modifications to the original plans. (K-M Photos).
KINDER-MORGAN’s T-102 SPLITTER made the trip down Clinton Drive last Monday, from the old Brown & Root dock on the ship channel, out on the roadway, and finally into the driveway of their new plant on the east side of Galena Park. The Tower is 20 feet in diameter, and when transported it is over 25 feet high and 200 feet long. Help was needed from the Galena Park police department for traffic control, and Centerpoint Energy to raise wires and traffic lights to make clearance for the height of the tower. Plant Manager Derrick Bockius reported that the move went as planned, and no major problems were encountered, due to advance planning and some modifications to the original plans. (K-M Photos).
KINDER-MORGAN’s T-102 SPLITTER made the trip down Clinton Drive last Monday, from the old Brown & Root dock on the ship channel, out on the roadway, and finally into the driveway of their new plant on the east side of Galena Park. The Tower is 20 feet in diameter, and when transported it is over 25 feet high and 200 feet long. Help was needed from the Galena Park police department for traffic control, and Centerpoint Energy to raise wires and traffic lights to make clearance for the height of the tower. Plant Manager Derrick Bockius reported that the move went as planned, and no major problems were encountered, due to advance planning and some modifications to the original plans. (K-M Photos)

GALENA PARK – Kinder Morgan has moved the largest piece of their new plant, a Condensate Processing Facility, onto the site from the fabricator’s plant a few miles west on Clinton Drive.

The original plans had called for a totally overland route to transport the tower, using Clinton Drive, Market Street, McCarty, and back to Clinton. However, obstructions and scheduling made the planners revise the route, using a barge on the ship channel for part of the trip, and the final leg from a dock down Clinton Drive, through the heart of Galena Park, and eastward to the plant site.

Plant Manager Derrick Bockius reports the plant will be in operation by October.

AERIAL VIEW on the new plant site shows the T-102 Splitter Tower negotiating a turn in the driveway, after it safely left Clinton Drive, out of view on the left. Galena Pakr is in the distance, looking west.
AERIAL VIEW on the new plant site shows the T-102 Splitter Tower negotiating a turn in the driveway, after it safely left Clinton Drive, out of view on the left. Galena Pakr is in the distance, looking west.

He said that the new “Splitter” would cost $370 million to build, and generate hundreds of temporary construction jobs and 23 full time positions. This is in addition to the 400+ employees that now work for Kinder-Morgan in the Galena Park area. Given industry standards, the community can expect another 150 jobs to be created in support of this plant by other businesses.

Tax revenue paid by Kinder-Morgan for this plant will have an enormous impact on local government. Bockius said that they estimate property tax revenue to the City of Galena Park at $1.4 million annually, and $2 million to the school district. Another $900,000 would be paid to Harris County.

Kinder-Morgan currently has several large terminal operations in Galena Park or the immediate area. A pipeline is being built that will bring more crude to the area for processing.

Bockius said that there is an immediate need for new hires, citing 3 operators, 1 coverage operator for nights, and a supervisor. Jobs are posted online at www.kindermorgan.com, or www.indeed.com. Bockius also recommended interested

applicants should consider taking a Petrolium Technician course of study at San Jacinto College. He said that he had received 2000 applications, alll had been considered and reviewed, and only a few were qualified for the type of work involved.

The new plant site covers 67 acres, and will eventually hold 17 storage tanks. Production of the plant will be 1000 barrels a day at capacity. It is expected to be in operation by October 2014.