Appalachian region’s first unit train/barge transloading facility up and running
In the heart of the Marcellus and Utica shale formations is a project called Long Ridge Energy Terminal. Long Ridge is owned by Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors Ltd (NYSE: FTAI), which is managed by Fortress Investment Group (NYSE: FIG).
Long Ridge offers natural gas liquids storage and transloading, and frac sand transloading.
The logistics facility, located on 1,660 acres in Monroe County, Ohio and Wetzel County, West Virginia, has completed its rail loop track construction project, opening the door for three unit trains of frac sand and other commodities to be transported.
Long Ridge is the only terminal in the Appalachian Basin with both unit train and barge transloading capabilities.
Long Ridge Energy Terminal warehouse; Source: Long Ridge Energy
The sand transloading infrastructure includes:
- Two barge docks on the Ohio River with docking capacity of up to 48 barges
- 12-mile short-line railroad into the terminal that provides access to Norfolk Southern
- Direct truck access to Ohio Route 7
- Track-hopper facility for rapid unloading of rail cars
- A conveyer belt system that facilitates movement from barge dock and rail cars to silos situated throughout the terminal
- 21 silos with 100,000 tons of frac sand storage capacity and up to 14 truck loading bays
- 45,000 tons of warehouse storage capacity
- Two liquids storage tanks with 45,000 barrels of capacity
- Four gas pipelines
Long Ridge Energy Barge Terminal; Source: Long Ridge Energy
The facility also has a 485 MW gas-fired power plant under development that is targeting being completed and operational in 2020. The power plant is to provide power to onsite operations and third parties, the company said.
Both the transloading terminal and the power plant are located at the site of the former Ormet aluminum smelter, which operated for over half a century until its closure in 2013.
Long Ridge Energy Operations Map; Source: Long Ridge Energy
Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors Ltd invests in four sectors: aviation, energy, intermodal transport and rail. FTAI is externally managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC, which has a dedicated team of professionals who collectively have acquired over $17 billion in transportation-related assets since 2002.
