Aug 5 (Reuters) - U.S. pipeline operator ONEOK ( OKE )

reported a rise in second-quarter profit on Monday, as it moved

more natural gas and liquids from the Rocky Mountain region.

The company said its natural gas liquids (NGL) raw feed

throughput volumes rose by 12% and natural gas processing

volumes increased 10% in the Rocky Mountain region.

The gains in volumes helped it offset lower NGL and natural

gas prices. U.S. natural gas prices have plunged about 26% this

year as mild weather and high storage levels have weakened

prices for the commodity.

ONEOK's ( OKE ) NGL unit adjusted core profit rose 19.1% to $635

million during the reported quarter while natural gas gathering

and processing segment core profit rose by 18.5%.

NGLs, such as ethane and propane, are used as feedstock by

the petrochemicals industry.

ONEOK ( OKE ), which has access to about half of entire U.S.

refining capacity, said its total refined product volume

shipments rose by 8.9% to 1.54 million barrels per day,

sequentially.

"Looking ahead to the remainder of the year, we expect

favorable market fundamentals, strong performance across our

operations and additional opportunities ahead," said CEO Pierce

Norton II.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company reported net income of

$780 million, or $1.33 per share, for the three months ended

June 30, compared with $468 million, or $1.04 per share, a year

earlier.