Operation began in 1996 on the new Chaco liquids-extraction plant in northwest New Mexico. The plant's extraction capacity - 50,000 b/d of NGLs from 600 MMcfd of gas - exceeds that of any other turboexpander plant in the lower 48 states. It is believed that the new plant creates added value when compared to the lean-oil extraction plant which El Paso has operated at the San Juan basin since the 1950s.