Breakdown of massive shale project - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

COLUMBIANA COUNTY, Ohio - An executive from M3 Midstream, a partner in the massive plant to build a natural gas processing center in eastern Ohio says the $900 million investment still needs to go through the approval and permitting process, but they hope to have the project up and running by the second quarter of 2013.

Plans call for two plants, one in Harrison County which is west of Steubenville and another in Hanover Township in Columbiana County. 

George Pasella said the two plants will be connected by a pipeline and that each plant will cost approximately $350 million dollars to build.  He adds it takes "thousands of jobs" to build the project, including construction workers, engineers,  welders and pipe-fitters. 

Once the project is built, Passela said about 200 permanent workers will be needed to operate the system. That includes both plants.

No exact location has been given, but a map on M3 Midstream's website shows a route that includes a pipeline connecting the locations of the two plants.  Passela says the pipeline may not follow the exact location shown on the map.

The plants will be symbiotic in that each will have wells that will feed the natural gas into the pipeline.  The plant in Columbiana County will separate the natural gas liquid from the gas stream, while the Harrison hub will break the liquid into its components, ethane, butane, propane and natural gasoline.