Opinion Poll: Risks to natural gas pipeline construction

Midstream operators and their upstream customers are counting on a wave of new natural gas pipeline capacity to reach markets.

Projects like Energy Transfer's Hugh Brinson and WhiteWater's Blackcomb pipeline are expected to add more than 5 bcfd of Permian takeaway capacity alone by late 2026, and the broader build-out extends well beyond West Texas.

But pipeline construction costs have hit record levels, FERC's permitting reforms are still working their way through the system, and capital markets remain watchful. History says not every project that gets announced gets built on time, or at all.