By Mrinalika Roy

May 6 (Reuters) - U.S. midstream company MPLX MPLX.N on Tuesday reported a rise in quarterly earnings helped by higher volumes and transportation rates and said it expects minimal impact from tariffs on its operations.

"At this juncture for what we know about tariffs...it really has very minimal impact on MPLX," CEO Maryann Mannen said during a post-earnings call.

The U.S. energy sector is bracing for the potential fallout of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs and an intense trade war with China, which could affect oil and natural gas demand and output.

However, the Findlay, Ohio-headquartered company said it continues to see production across its operating basins.

"Based on feedback from our producer customers, we continue to expect year-over-year volume growth in the Marcellus and Utica basins," Mannen said.

MPLX is acquiring an additional 5% interest in the joint venture that owns the Matterhorn Express Pipeline for $151 million, aiming to add scale and access the lucrative oil and gas-producing regions and export facilities.

The company, which has announced over $1 billion of strategic acquisitions since the start of 2025, said it has "ample capacity to undertake additional strategic acquisitions".

MPLX plans to spend $1.7 billion on growth projects in 2025, with 85% focused on natural gas and NGL infrastructure.

"Notwithstanding current market volatility, the outlook for hydrocarbons remains robust. Grid electrification, onshoring, nearshoring, and data centre development are driving natural gas demand growth forecast through the end of the decade. As demand increases for natgas-powered electricity, we are well positioned," Mannen said.

Total liquids pipeline throughput stood at 5.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in the quarter, a 12% jump, while terminal throughput rose 6% to 3.1 million bpd.

Gathered volumes on its natural gas lines averaged 6.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d), a 5% increase from the prior year.

The company reported net income of $1.13 billion for the quarter, up from $1.00 billion a year earlier.

(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

((mrinalika.roy@thomsonreuters.com;))