The Greater Houston area remains a key hub for natural gas liquids (NGLs), driving U.S. producers to expand infrastructure and increase export capacity. U.S. NGL exports hit a record high of 2.9 million barrels per day as recently as April 2025 (Reuters), reinforcing the continued international demand for ethane, propane and butane.
For facility owners, the challenge isn’t simply building more—it’s building smarter. Compressed schedules, complex integrations and workforce constraints must be balanced with safety, quality and budget. Success requires strategies that go beyond the traditional execution model.
At S&B, we have delivered more than 25 NGL-related projects by applying lessons learned and proven methods to reduce risk and accelerate results.
What Operators Can Learn from Recent Experience
Export Terminal Expansion
When a major NGL export terminal needed to boost throughput, S&B executed a multi-phase expansion, adding ethane, propane and ethylene systems under tight timelines.
Early alignment across disciplines and integrated field planning were key to success. By involving construction and procurement leaders early in the design process, and leveraging refined, proven design models, we anticipated integration challenges and resolved them before they reached the field.
These strategies enabled safe, efficient execution despite tight timelines and complex conditions. The project achieved 4.5 million safe work hours without a lost-time incident, demonstrating the impact of proactive planning and a strong safety culture.
Best Practices for NGL Owners and Operators
1. Leverage Proven Design Frameworks
Every NGL project has unique process requirements, but execution doesn’t need to start from scratch. Using a proven design framework accelerates front-end engineering design (FEED) and moves procurement forward. This approach allows engineering teams to adapt for feedstock variations or site-specific constraints without slowing progress—and enables early material takeoffs and vendor coordination to mitigate supply-chain risks.
2. Integrate Construction and Procurement in Early-Phase Planning
Bringing construction and procurement into early-phase planning reduces downstream risk. When engineering, procurement and construction move in sync, schedule reliability and budget control improve dramatically.
As an example, during a recent expansion, construction leaders participated in early-phase planning to ensure design, fabrication and procurement sequencing aligned with field execution priorities. This minimized idle time and prevented cascading delays across interconnected systems, including propane and ethylene infrastructure.
3. Embed Safety from Day One
Rather than viewing safety as a checklist, S&B’s culture revolves around a mindset of protecting our people. S&B applies Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) principles to design systems and processes that anticipate human error and minimize its impact.
From the earliest stages of a project, field leaders participate in early safety reviews and hazard identification, and in programs like People Observing People, to empower every team member to speak up and stop work when conditions are not right.
4. Invest in Workforce Development
Workforce availability remains a critical risk. S&B invests in structured craft training and advancement pathways to help retain talent and build capacity. At one NGL site, many crew members advanced from previous projects, while others progressed through task-based and after-hours training programs. This approach to workforce development ensures alignment with project expectations and safety culture from day one.
Looking Ahead
Delivering today’s NGL infrastructure requires more than technical expertise. In my experience, the projects that succeed are those that also follow proven strategies and disciplined execution. As demand grows, these principles will remain essential for delivering safe, efficient and reliable NGL infrastructure from feedstock to dock.
Ready to learn more? See how these principles come to life in the field. Learn more about S&B’s NGL projects and the strategies behind their success.
This article was originally published in the Houston Business Journal on Feb 1, 2026. Reproduced with permission.
