September 08, 2009 05:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Energy Transfer Partners’ Tiger Pipeline Announces Additional Volume Commitment

Also Files FERC Application Requesting Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for 180-mile Natural Gas Pipeline

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE:ETP) today announced it has entered into a 10-year contract with a shipper to transport 300 million cubic feet per day of natural gas on its Tiger Pipeline system, bringing total capacity commitments on the proposed pipeline to not less than 1.8 billion cubic feet per day.

This new capacity commitment is in addition to previously announced agreements including a 10-year contract with Denver-based EnCana Marketing (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of EnCana Corporation, and a 15-year contract with Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc., a subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, for 1.0 billion cubic feet per day.

“We are excited about increasing the volume committed to the Tiger Pipeline project by entering this new long-term agreement,” said Lee Hanse, Senior Vice President, Energy Transfer Partners Interstate Pipeline Division. “This volume commitment further demonstrates the need for additional pipeline capacity out of the increasingly active Haynesville Shale natural gas play. The construction of the Tiger Pipeline will help provide critical takeaway capacity and ensure that producers have flexibility and enhanced market access as they continue to develop this emerging resource.”

ETP also filed on August 31, 2009 an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) requesting a certificate of public convenience and necessity that would authorize construction and operation of the approximately 180-mile Tiger Pipeline. Pending necessary regulatory approvals, the pipeline is expected to be under construction by June 2010 and in service in the first half of 2011. The pipeline will connect to ETP’s dual 42” pipeline system near Carthage, Texas, extend through the heart of the Haynesville Shale and end near Delhi, Louisiana, with interconnects to at least seven interstate pipelines at various points in Louisiana that serve the Northeast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest markets. The pipeline will have an initial throughput capacity of 2.0 billion cubic feet per day, which may be increased to up to 2.4 billion cubic feet per day with added compression.

Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE:ETP) is a publicly traded partnership owning and operating a diversified portfolio of energy assets. ETP has pipeline operations in Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Utah, and owns the largest intrastate pipeline system in Texas. ETP’s natural gas operations include gathering and transportation pipelines, treating and processing assets, and three storage facilities located in Texas. ETP currently has more than 17,500 miles of pipeline in service and has a 50% interest in joint ventures that have approximately 500 miles of interstate pipeline in service. ETP is also one of the three largest retail marketers of propane in the United States, serving more than one million customers across the country.

Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE:ETE) is a publicly traded partnership, which owns the general partner of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. and approximately 62.5 million ETP limited partner units.

For more information on the ETC Tiger Pipeline, visit www.tigerpipeline.com.

This press release may include certain statements concerning expectations for the future that are forward-looking statements as defined by federal law. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond management’s control. An extensive list of factors that can affect future results are discussed in ETP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ETP undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect new information or events.