MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources, a partnership between MarkWest Energy Partners (NYSE: MWE) and The Energy & Minerals Group, has executed a long-term agreement with Statoil (NYSE: STO) to provide additional natural gas midstream services for Statoil’s rich-gas Marcellus acreage in northern West Virginia.

MarkWest Liberty will provide the midstream services at its Majorsville, West Virginia processing complex, which is operating near capacity. MarkWest Liberty is nearing completion of an expansion of its cryogenic processing capacity at Majorsville, and is evaluating additional processing expansions to serve increasing production of liquids-rich natural gas in northern West Virginia. The natural gas liquids (NGLs) recovered at Majorsville are transported via pipeline to MarkWest Liberty’s fractionation, storage, and marketing complex in Houston, Pennsylvania.

"We are excited to expand our existing relationship with Statoil," said Frank Semple, chairman, president and chief executive officer of MarkWest. "MarkWest Liberty provides integrated NGL transportation, fractionation, storage, and marketing services that are critical to optimizing rich-gas development in the northeast United States and we are pleased to further strengthen our midstream presence in the liquids-rich areas of the Marcellus."