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Operating Costs Calculator

OPEX Analysis - Gas Processing Facility

Operating Cost Estimator (OPEX)
Estimates annual operating expenses for gas processing and pipeline facilities including labor (with benefits burden), maintenance, insurance, property taxes, and variable costs. Provides unit economics, cost distribution analysis, and industry benchmark comparisons per AACE International cost estimation standards and GPSA guidelines.

Plant Parameters

$
days/yr

Fixed Costs (% of TIC)

% of TIC
% of TIC
% of TIC
% of TIC
$/year
%

Variable Costs

$/year
Includes utilities, consumables, and other variable costs

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Complete coverage of OPEX calculations, fuel costs, maintenance, labor, and life cycle costing.

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OPEX Formulas

OPEX = Fixed + Variable
Fixed Costs: (Maint% + Ins% + Tax% + OH%) × TIC + Labor × (1 + Benefits%)
Variable: Power + Fuel + Water + Chemicals + Other
Unit Cost: OPEX / (Capacity × Operating Days)
Utilization: Operating Days / 365

Engineering Notes

  • TIC-based costs: Maintenance 2-4%, Insurance 0.5-1.5%, Property Tax 1-2% of Total Installed Cost per AACE standards
  • Labor burden: Benefits typically 30-40% of base salary (FICA, health, 401k, workers comp)
  • OPEX/TIC ratio: Gas processing typically 3-5% annually; pipelines 2-4%
  • Fixed vs variable: Higher fixed cost ratio (>60%) provides operating leverage but less flexibility
  • Utilization impact: 10% higher utilization reduces unit costs 5-8% due to fixed cost spreading

Industry Benchmarks

  • Gas processing: $0.05-0.15/Mcf OPEX typical
  • NGL fractionation: $1.50-3.00/bbl processing cost
  • Labor: 25-40% of total OPEX depending on automation
  • Maintenance: 15-25% of OPEX; increases with asset age

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