Tight oil plays may have made the Permian Basin a global powerhouse over the past decade, but natural gas is playing a growing role in its present and its future.

Driven by associated gas volumes co-produced with crude oil, Permian gas production has doubled since 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Last year alone, the region accounted for 22% of marketed U.S. production with annual gas output jumping 12% to 25.4 billion cubic feet a day, EIA data shows.

The surging volumes and limited spare takeaway options from the Waha Hub in Pecos County, Tx, have suppressed regional prices, but significant new pipeline capacity is on the way. Proposed new projects provide access to U.S. LNG export terminals, power generators, and industrial users as well as Mexican LNG and industrial markets.

Excluding connectors within the Permian Basin, at least 11 new-build or expansion projects have been completed, are now under construction, or are planned pending final investment decisions. The 11 projects include:

• Kinder Morgan’s Gulf Coast Express Pipeline, a 500-mile, 42-inch line (36-inch Midland Basin lateral) from Waha to the Agua Dulce hub in South Texas. The line started up in late 2019 with 2 Bcf/d in initial capacity, but a 570 MMcf/d compression-related expansion is scheduled to be completed by mid-2026.
• Permian Highway Pipeline LLC’s Permian Highway Pipeline, a 430-mile, 42-inch line from Waha to Katy, Tx. The pipeline entered service in early 2021 shipping 2.1 Bcf/d, and a compression-related expansion to 2.65 Bcf/d was completed in late 2023.
• WhiteWater Midstream’s Whistler Pipeline, a 450-mile, 42-inch line (36-inch Midland Basin lateral) from Waha to Agua Dulce. It started up with 2 Bcf/d capacity in late 2021, with a compressor-related expansion to 2.5 Bcf/d completed two years later.
• WhiteWater Midstream’s Matterhorn Express Pipeline, a 580-mile, 42-inch line (30-inch and 36-inch laterals) from Waha to Katy that came on line in 2014. A compression-related expansion will increase capacity from 2 Bcf/d to 2.5 Bcf/d when completed late this year.
• WhiteWater Midstream’s Blackcomb Pipeline, a 366-mile, 42-inch line (80-mile Midland Basin lateral) from multiple Permian upstream points to Agua Dulce. Construction on the 2.5 Bcf/d pipeline is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026.
• Energy Transfer’s Hugh Brinson Pipeline (formerly Warrior Pipeline), a 442-mile, 42-inch line (36-inch Midland Basin lateral) from Waha to Maypearl south of Dallas-Fort Worth with connections to Energy Transfer’s pipeline and storage network. The system’s initial 1.5 Bcf/d capacity will enter service late next year, with a planned compression-related expansion to 2.2 Bcf/d to follow as part of a second construction phase.
• WhiteWater Midstream’s Eiger Express Pipeline, a 450-mile, 42-inch line from Permian upstream points to Katy. The 2.5 Bcf/d system is estimated to commence operations in mid-2028.
• Energy Transfer’s proposed Desert Southwest, a 516-mile, 42-inch pipeline from Waha to Phoenix, Az. The pipeline’s anticipated capacity is 1.5 Bcf/d, and the projected in-service date is late 2029.
• Tallgrass’ Permian Pipeline to Rockies Express, a 36 to 42-inch line with capacity up to 2.4 Bcf/d and a target in-service date of late 2028.
• Oneok subsidiary Saguaro Connector Pipeline LLC’s proposed Saguaro Connector Pipeline, a 155-mile, 48-inch line shipping up to 2.8 Bcf/d from Waha to the Mexican border at Hudspeth County, Tx., for connection to the proposed Sierra Madre Pipeline in Mexico. Both projects are pending final investment decisions.
• Moss Lake Partners’ DeLa Express Pipeline, a 645-mile, 42-inch line (with extensions) from Winkler County, Tx., to Lake Charles, La. The project is pending a final investment decision but is projected to have 2 Bcf/d of natural gas/NGL capacity with a targeted in-service date in 2028.