Infrastructure company WhiteWater and its joint venture partners Devon Energy, MPLX, Diamondback Energy and Western Midstream Partners have made a final investment decision (FID) to develop two natural gas pipelines connecting the Permian Basin with Katy, Texas, United States (Devon Energy press release, 17/08/2026). The construction schedule and start of operations remain subject to customary regulatory approvals.
- The Solitude Pipeline System is planned to be developed in phases, with an initial capacity of approximately 2.25 Bcf/d (23 bcm/year) expected to come online in the second half of 2029.
- A second phase of similar capacity is scheduled for 2030, bringing the system’s total capacity to around 4.5 Bcf/d (47 bcm/year), with further expansion possible depending on shipper demand.
- WhiteWater holds a 50% stake in the joint venture, while Devon Energy owns 25%, MPLX 10%, and Diamondback Energy and Western Midstream Partners each hold 7.5%.
“Permian producers have long absorbed volatile and periodically negative pricing at the Waha hub, where takeaway capacity has repeatedly failed to keep pace with associated gas growth. Firm, long-haul capacity to the Gulf Coast changes that equation: it moves the majority of Devon’s Delaware gas out of Waha and into markets that will be tied to expanding LNG export and power generation, where North American liquefaction capacity is expected to more than double by the end of the decade”.
“Devon has already initiated the process of securing international LNG-linked pricing. The Solitude project gives Devon the scale and duration to access this growing LNG demand”, added the company’s statement.
Sustained growth in associated natural gas production in the Permian Basin, the largest oil-producing region in the US, in recent years has driven investment in additional pipeline infrastructure to transport gas to major demand hubs along the US Gulf Coast (Reuters, 17/08/2026).