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The US plans to add 462 bcm/year of pipeline capacity by 2027, EIA reports

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The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has published an update on planned natural gas pipeline developments in the United States for 2026 and 2027 (US EIA in-brief analysis, 26/05/2026). Developers are expected to add approximately 44.9 bcf/d of new pipeline capacity over 2026–2027, equivalent to around 462 bcm/year, according to the EIA’s latest Natural Gas Pipeline Projects Tracker. About 70% (31.6 bcf/d, 325 bcm/year) of this capacity is already under construction.

Regionally, more than 66% (29.7 bcf/d, 306 bcm/year) of planned additions are located in Texas, while Louisiana accounts for 19% (8.4 bcf/d, 87 bcm/year). “The projects in Texas will provide additional takeaway capacity out of the Permian Basin and debottleneck the Waha Hub, supplying natural gas to LNG export terminals, as well as residential, power, and industrial users”, the report states.

Among the largest projects currently under construction and expected to come online by the end of 2026 are:

  • Rio Bravo Pipeline Project: a pipeline in Texas with a capacity of up to 4.5 bcf/d (46 bcm/year), designed to supply feedgas to NextDecade’s under-construction Rio Grande LNG export terminal, with an expected in-service date in the second half of 2026. 
  • Blackcomb Pipeline: a 2.5 bcf/d pipeline (26 bcm/year) under construction, expected to enter service in Q3 2026, connecting the Waha hub in Texas to the Agua Dulce hub to alleviate Permian bottlenecks. 
  • Hugh Brinson Pipeline: a 2.2 bcf/d project (23 bcm/year) expanding takeaway capacity from the Permian Basin; phase 1 is expected in Q4 2026, and phase 2 in Q1 2027. 
  • In Louisiana, the Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector is expected online in H2 2026 with 2 bcf/d (21 bcm/year) of capacity, while the Pelican Pipeline is anticipated by end-2027, bringing total state additions to 8.4 bcf/d (87 bcm/year).

Finally, Virginia ranks third in planned capacity additions, with 1.6 bcf/d (17 bcm/year) expected in 2027 through Williams’s Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, an expansion of the existing Transcontinental Pipeline from Virginia to Alabama.