A consortium led by WhiteWater as operator announced on August 17, 2026 that it has reached a Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Solitude Pipeline System, which will connect the Permian Basin in Texas to an area near Katy on the Gulf Coast. The consortium includes Devon Energy, MPLX, Diamondback Energy, and Western Midstream, with Phase 1 targeting startup in the second half of 2029.
The consortium is structured with WhiteWater holding a 50% stake as operator, Devon Energy holding 25%, MPLX holding 10%, and Diamondback Energy and Western Midstream each holding 7.5%. The Solitude Pipeline System consists of two 48-inch pipeline lines and will transport natural gas produced in the Permian Basin to LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) export facilities and power plant demand centers on the Gulf Coast.
Phase 1 transport capacity is 2.25 Bcf/d (Billion cubic feet per day), targeting startup in the second half of 2029. A similarly sized Phase 2 is scheduled for 2030, with further expansion reportedly possible in the future. The FID was announced on August 17, 2026. Separately from the pipeline, Devon Energy has already secured Gulf Coast LNG-linked pricing agreements for 100 million cf/d starting in 2027 and an additional 150 million cf/d starting in 2028.
This FID reflects the broader trend of expanding U.S. midstream infrastructure investment aimed at directly connecting the Permian Basin’s surging gas production with Gulf Coast LNG export and power generation demand, and is expected to also help ease transportation bottlenecks for Permian-area producers.
Natural gas production in the Permian Basin has steadily increased in recent years in tandem with rising crude oil output, and demand for new pipelines to transport this gas to Gulf Coast LNG export facilities and power demand centers has grown accordingly, with the Solitude Pipeline System considered a representative project addressing this shift in supply-demand structure. The structure in which multiple upstream producers and midstream infrastructure companies share ownership through a consortium reflects a typical recent transaction approach that distributes the initial investment burden and volume-commitment risk of large pipeline projects among several stakeholders. The fact that Devon Energy secured long-term LNG-linked pricing agreements separately from its pipeline equity stake suggests that producers are pursuing simultaneous investment in transport infrastructure equity and volume sales contracts as a strategy to manage price volatility risk. Significant contracting opportunities are also expected to follow for EPC firms and suppliers of steel pipe, valves, and other equipment involved in pipeline construction, illustrating how the benefits of expanding U.S. midstream infrastructure investment can spread across the broader supply chain.
Whether construction proceeds on schedule toward the Phase 1 startup target in the second half of 2029 is the primary point to watch. Whether additional details on the specific investment scale and volume commitments for Phase 2, scheduled for 2030, will be disclosed is also worth watching. In addition, the progress of Gulf Coast LNG export facility and power plant projects linked to this pipeline warrants attention, as does whether consortium participants will decide on further equity changes or expansion investments going forward.