Embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for operating a natural gas liquids plant in ethane rejection and in ethane recovery. A natural gas liquid plant may comprise an absorber configured to produce an ethane rich bottom stream and an ethane depleted vapor stream; a stripper fluidly coupled to the absorber configured to, during ethane rejection, fractionate the ethane rich bottom stream from the absorber into an ethane overhead product and a propane plus hydrocarbons product, and configured to, during ethane recovery, fractionate the ethane rich bottom stream into an ethane plus NGL stream and an overhead vapor stream; and an exchanger configured to, during ethane recovery, counter-currently contact the ethane rich bottom stream from the absorber with the ethane depleted vapor stream from the absorber, thereby heating the vapor stream and chilling the ethane rich bottom stream before the ethane rich bottom stream is fed to the stripper.