The Permian Basin is the nation’s second-largest natural gas-producing region, and over the past couple of years it has been dominated by one overarching story: pipeline takeaway constraints and periods of negative prices at the Waha Hub. That has changed recently, however, as more pipelines out of the region have entered service. Now, a consortium led by WhiteWater Midstream has reached a final investment decision (FID) on the Solitude Pipeline System, which will have the capacity to take an astonishing 4.5 Bcf/d of gas from the Permian by the early 2030s. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll explain why Solitude has the potential to upend the Permian gas story, bringing us a market where takeaway capacity is so great that production cannot keep up and multiple lines out of the Permian run largely empty.
The NATGAS Production Tracker - Texas provides a DAILY update of natural gas production in Texas the New Mexico side of the Permian Basin. Quickly and easily view today’s supplies in the Lone Star state and download the full historical table when you need it.
Before we look at the potential effects of Solitude, let’s look at what the project aims to do. Despite the lonely sounding name, Solitude (dashed orange line in Figure 1 below) will consist of two 48-inch pipelines, each capable of transporting 2.25 Bcf/d (for a total of 4.5 Bcf/d). Solitude is the name of a ski resort in Utah, which is probably the source of the name, as many WhiteWater-affiliated pipelines in Texas are named after mountains (Whistler, Blackcomb, Matterhorn, Eiger). Solitude will run from the Permian to Katy, just west of Houston. This is a familiar route for WhiteWater, which has been operating the Matterhorn Express pipeline (yellow line) since late 2024 and is building Eiger Express (dashed red line), which is planned to enter service in 2028. While the route is similar, Solitude has a different ownership group than other WhiteWater-led pipelines. WhiteWater will own 50% of Solitude, followed by Devon Energy (25%), MPLX (10%), Diamondback Energy (7.5%) and Western Midstream Partners (7.5%). The current plan is to have the first Solitude pipeline flowing gas in late 2029, with the second to follow in 2030.
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About the song
“Solitude” was written by Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne. It appears as the third song on side two of Black Sabbath’s third studio album, Master of Reality. The slow ballad with minimal accompaniment is about depression after a romantic breakup. It was a departure from the heavy music Black Sabbath fans expected. Personnel on the record were: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar, flute, piano) and Geezer Butler (bass).
Master of Reality was recorded between February and April 1971 at Island Studios in London and Warner Bros. Studios in North Hollywood. It contained more experimental songs than the previous two albums, and all the guitars were downtuned to produce a heavier sound on the album. Produced by Rodger Bain, it was released in August 1971 and went to #8 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. It has been certified 2X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. One single was released from the LP.
Black Sabbath was an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969 by vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. The group helped to define the heavy metal genre of music. They released 19 studio albums, eight live albums, 14 compilation albums, three EPs, and 37 singles and have sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Black Sabbath won two Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band played their final show, Back to the Beginning, in July 2025 in their hometown of Birmingham. Ozzy Osbourne passed away at his home in Buckinghamshire, England, 17 days after the final concert, at 76.
"About the Song" -- written by Mickey McMahan , RBN Director of Musicology
