MPLX LP (NYSE:MPLX) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

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Mike Hennigan: I’ll start and I’ll let Shawn jump in. We’re probably going to talk about that in a lot more specifics on the MPC call. But just in general, that project is pretty strategic for us. It’s a lot more crude processing and upgrading. So as you know, obviously down on Galveston Bay, we have flexibility to bring barrels in via pipeline and/or water. So depending on the specifics of where the best crude opportunity is, it could hit our system or it could come waterborne on the crude side. But obviously, the outcome of the products, that tends to move on some other pipes as well. So it’s much more of an MPC impacting project than it is an MPLX project.

Neel Mitra: Okay, got it. Thank you. And then my second question on the G&P side, can you sum up how you look at the Permian portfolio? You have some good gathering and processing, natural gas takeaway with Whistler and a little bit with Matterhorn. How far downstream do you want to go? Are you thinking about NGL pipelines? And then do you feel like you need more scale on the G&P side to feed some of the downstream assets? I’m just wondering how you envision this portfolio looking like in the intermediate to longer term.

Mike Hennigan: Yes. At a high level, yes, we would like to continue to expand our footprint there. But I’ll let Greg and Shawn touch or Dave.

Dave Heppner: Neel, this is Dave. I think as you look at it, one of our strategies is to leverage the existing infrastructure and assets we have in place from gathering to processing in the long haul pipelines down to the export opportunities or the other infrastructure out there. So I think as you see, whether it be organic or inorganic growth opportunities, it’s really going to keep that in the back of our mind. Again, all anchored by strict capital discipline and ensuring that we get the acceptable returns.

Neel Mitra: And if I could just ask a follow up to that. Are you seeing some synergies between your gathering and processing and possibly being able to win contracts by having the Whistler capacity there, given the lack of natural gas takeaway and possibly bundling contracts between pipelines and G&P?

Greg Floerke: Yes, they’re definitely synergies. On the G&P side, for example, we’re building and operating some of the crude gathering assets as we tie in new wells and put new units in. There’s associated gas that comes with that. So we connect the gas wells and bring the gas, and G&P operates that gathering system as well, the gas NOL, and then we operate the processing plants. But we’re reliant then on handing off the residue gas to Whistler to bangle the NGLs. And then, of course, the crude coming from the pads is going to L&S operated downstream pipelines as well. So we operate seamlessly there.

John Quaid: Neel, it’s John. Definitely right to the point of your question, those producer customers want that product to the coast, and that’s the solution we’ve built and we’ll continue to look to think about how we can move further downstream across that value chain.

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