MPLX Marcellus Utilization Hits 94%, Driving Gathering Expansion

In 2015, MPLX (i.e., Marathon Petroleum) bought out and merged with the Utica Shale’s premier midstream company, MarkWest Energy, for $15 billion (see MarkWest Energy Investors/Unitholders Approve Merger with Marathon). The “new” MarkWest, aka MPLX, now plays on a much larger stage, owning and operating major assets in the Permian Basin, the Bakken Shale, and the Marcellus/Utica. However, the M-U still plays a starring role for the company. MPLX recently issued its first quarter 2026 update. MPLX is seeing increased natural gas gathering throughput in both Marcellus and Utica, indicating robust upstream activity.

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