Permian Pipelines 2024

The Wink to Webster Pipeline, operated by ExxonMobil, stands out as the largest crude oil pipeline by capacity exiting the prolific Permian Basin in West Texas. What makes it even more of a midstream icon is the company’s hands-on management of the entire process, from the production well to the long-haul run to delivery to ExxonMobil’s refineries. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll examine Wink to Webster’s complicated ownership structure, how it connects directly to terminals run by its owners and its destination flexibility. 

As crude oil pipelines from the Permian to the Gulf Coast edge closer to full utilization, it’s becoming a challenge for producers and shippers alike. Amid this capacity crunch, converting Enterprise’s Midland to ECHO 2 (M2E-2) pipeline back to crude oil service can’t come quickly enough. In today’s RBN blog — the latest in our series on Permian crude oil pipelines — we discuss Enterprise’s crude oil footprint from West Texas to Houston. 

As crude oil production in the Permian continues to grow and pipelines from West Texas to the Gulf Coast edge closer to full utilization, it’s becoming a challenge for producers and shippers alike. Amid this capacity crunch, one pipeline stands out as the only one with a detailed expansion plan: the 850-mile, 900-Mb/d Gray Oak Pipeline from West Texas to Corpus Christi and Sweeny, TX, which started up in late 2019 and became fully operational in early 2020. In today’s RBN blog — the latest in our series on Permian crude oil pipelines — we discuss Gray Oak Pipeline’s dynamic story, including its shifting ownership, strategic connectivity and expansion plans. 

Permian producers have enjoyed an abundance of outbound options since the pandemic, with egress capacity surpassing production. While a significant amount of capacity remains available, not all routes have proven equal in the eyes of the market, with Corpus Christi and Houston the most sought-after destinations for Permian crude. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll explore why ONEOK’s BridgeTex Pipeline is the only conduit serving the Houston market that still has room to take on additional volumes — although it appears to be quickly nearing full capacity. 

Hundreds of miles separate the Permian Basin from the U.S. Gulf Coast, but in the Shale Era traversing that span has become increasingly important to Permian producers. Billions of dollars have been invested to expand capacity to move Permian production — crude, natural gas or NGLs — to the Gulf Coast to take advantage of surging export markets. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll focus our attention on EPIC Midstream and its EPIC Crude Pipeline, which has operated above its nameplate capacity for much of this year.

The great Texas philosopher Matthew McConaughey once said, “I don’t want to just revolve. I want to evolve.” Few pieces of crude oil infrastructure embody that spirit of adaptation quite like ONEOK’s Longhorn Pipeline. Starting out as a Houston-bound conduit for Permian crude, Longhorn later reversed its flow and started moving refined products, then — at just the right time, in the early days of the Permian’s Shale Era rebirth — flipped back to eastbound crude service. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll detail the pipeline’s evolution and its critical role in moving Permian oil to the Gulf Coast market.