Energy Transfer could decide to move ahead on its proposed 2 Bcf/d Warrior natural gas pipeline from the Permian Basin to East Texas by the time the company hosts its Q3 2024 earnings call.
The company has yet to make a final investment decision (FID) on the project (gold dashed line in map below), but talks with customers have picked up steam. Energy Transfer said during its Q2 2024 earnings call this week that if FID is announced, space will have been sold out.
The race is heating up for building natural gas pipeline takeaway capacity out of the Permian. Associated gas production from the crude-focused basin is at record highs this month and gaining momentum, which means that without additional pipeline capacity, the Permian is headed for serious pipeline constraints — and potentially negative pricing — by late this year or early next, which would, in turn, limit crude oil production growth there. Midstreamers are jockeying for the pole position to move surplus gas from the increasingly constrained basin to LNG export markets along the Gulf Coast. One of the contenders, Matterhorn Express Pipeline (MXP), a joint venture (JV) between WhiteWater, EnLink Midstream Partners, Devon Energy and MPLX, announced its final investment decision (FID) late yesterday. In today’s RBN blog, we provide new details on the greenfield project.
Midstreamers developing natural gas takeaway capacity out of the Permian have understandably focused on pipelines to the Gulf Coast — and along the coast to LNG export terminals and other big gas consumers. But don’t forget the Desert Southwest, where demand for gas-fired power is soaring. Energy Transfer recently committed to building a 516-mile, 1.5-Bcf/d expansion to its Transwestern Pipeline system from West Texas to the Phoenix area, and hinted that it might double the project’s capacity due to the high level of interest. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss Energy Transfer’s aptly named Desert Southwest Project, what drove its quick progress to a final investment decision (FID), and what other westbound projects out of the Permian might still happen.
The first Saturday in May is only a couple of days away, so brush off your seersucker jacket or find that Kentucky Derby hat, as it’s the only time of year most Americans watch an actual horse race. That’s kind of how it goes with the Permian natural gas market as well, with only intermittent interest from general gas market participants, usually when there’s a pipeline capacity issue leading to a noticeable impact on prices. Now is one of those times. Permian gas production is racing higher and the pipelines to get gas to market are quickly getting jammed up. Daily prices in the Permian are trading about 10% lower than those in Louisiana and the forward basis markets suggest they will deteriorate further in the months ahead. Naturally, midstream companies are quickly trotting out new pipeline projects, but sorting out the contenders is much like picking the winner on Saturday. You need data and at least a little luck, and we’re here to help out with the former. In today’s RBN blog, we lay out what we know and how we view the Permian gas pipeline derby.
