The Gulf Coast needs a lot more natural gas storage capacity, and while brownfield expansions at existing salt cavern facilities will likely prevail in the near term, there is a limit to expansion opportunities. That opens the door to greenfield storage projects, especially those that can offer tried-and-true salt formations, proximity to LNG export terminals, connectivity to multiple gas pipelines, and high gas-injection rates. In today’s RBN blog, we conclude our series on Gulf Coast gas storage with a look at more greenfield projects.
In Part 1 of this series, we said the Gulf Coast gas storage market is now in the midst of a massive buildout expected to continue into the early 2030s. The growth is driven primarily by the storage needs of new and expanding LNG export facilities. Part 2 discussed the sharply higher gas storage rates that LNG terminal operators in particular are now willing to pay and considered how much new gas storage is likely to be built along the Gulf Coast over the next few years. Part 3 and Part 4 reviewed several of the storage projects currently under development, beginning with brownfield expansions and then starting a look at greenfield projects. Today, we conclude that review.
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For starters, a reminder that brownfield salt cavern projects typically have an economic advantage because much of their required infrastructure (compressors, brine management systems, pipeline interconnections, etc.) is already in place. But with strong demand for storage space, at least a few of the best greenfield projects — the ones with good salt formations, sites, interconnections and injection rates — are likely to advance to a final investment decision (FID) over the next couple of years.
Sempra Infrastructure
Sempra Infrastructure’s LA Storage project in Cameron Parish, LA (magenta tank icon in Figure 1 below), is in a category of its own for two reasons. First, while LA Storage may be considered a greenfield project in that there are no existing gas storage caverns at the site, Targa Resources operates several NGL storage caverns nearby and the U.S. Department of Energy operates several more for crude oil storage at its Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s (SPR) Hackberry site. Second, unlike projects that have yet to reach FID, the three-cavern first phase of LA Storage, with a working gas capacity of 12.5 Bcf, reached FID in September 2023, is under construction, and is slated to come online in Q2 2027. Phase 1 will have a maximum injection capacity of 1.5 Bcf/d and a maximum withdrawal capacity of 1.5 Bcf/d.
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About the song
“Long Time” was written by Tom Scholz and appears as the third song on side one of Boston’s eponymous debut album. The intro section leading into the song, “Foreplay,” has been used in many commercial applications, including motion pictures, television shows and commercials, sporting events, video games, and sampling. Tom Scholz has said that “Foreplay” was the first song he ever recorded on a two-track tape recorder in his basement. “Long Time“ is about Scholz‘s long, hard path to success as a musician and never giving up on that quest. The 7:47-minute suite, including “Foreplay,“ was released as a single in January 1977 and went to #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Personnel on the record were: Brad Delp (lead, backing vocals), Tom Scholz (guitar, organ, Clavinet, bass), Barry Goudreau (guitar), Fran Sheehan (bass), and Sib Hashian (drums).
The album, Boston, was recorded in Tom Scholz‘s basement studio at his home in Watertown, MA; Capitol Studios in Hollywood; and Record Plant in Los Angeles from October 1975 to April 1976. Produced by Tom Scholz and John Boylan, it was released in August 1976 and went to #3 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. It has been certified 17X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Three singles were released from the LP.
Boston (originally named Mother’s Milk) is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1975 by songwriter, musician and mastermind Tom Scholz. With Brad Delp on vocals, Scholz recorded most of Boston’s debut album in his basement home studio. Scholz began writing songs in the 1970s while finishing his master’s degree in engineering at MIT. He worked for a while at Polaroid Corp. as a senior product design engineer before securing a record deal for Boston. Later, he developed his Rockman brand, which helped change the direction of recording electric guitar in home studios in the 1980s. Boston has released six studio albums, a live album, two compilation albums, and 16 singles, and sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Twenty-two members have passed through the band since its inception, with founder Scholz in all renditions of the group. Original vocalist Brad Delp died by suicide in March 2007 in Atkinson, NH, at 55. Original drummer Sib Hashian died at 67 in March 2017 while performing on a cruise ship in the Bahamas. Although the group hasn't officially broken up, it hasn’t performed live since 2017. August 2026 marked the 50th anniversary of the release of Boston’s debut album.
"About the Song" -- written by Mickey McMahan , RBN Director of Musicology
