The Matterhorn joint venture recently announced the expansion of the Eiger Express Pipeline in the heart of the United States oil and gas sector, the Permian Basin. Texas has long been the spiritual home of the US gas and oil market, and the Permian stands as the backbone of the American energy sector. In most cases, developing projects requires the input and use of other companies’ vast energy assets to develop new projects and expand existing ones to reach new levels of efficiency.
The Eiger Express Pipeline will benefit a range of American energy operators
The Matterhorn Joint Venture has been tasked with expanding the Eiger Express Pipeline to reach astonishing new levels of capacity over the coming years. The Matterhorn JV is owned by a number of substantially large American energy companies, including WhiteWater (65%), ONEOK (15%), MPLX (10%), and Enbridge (10%).
The joint venture owns several gas pipelines that were specifically constructed to move natural gas from the Permian basin to the Gulf Coast of America, where the vast majority of the natural energy resource is processed. The plan is to expand the Eiger Express Pipeline to handle upwards of 2.5 billion cubic feet per day and move the gas from the Permian to the Katy area near Houston, Texas.
ONEOK, which holds a 25% stake in the Eiger Express Pipeline, recently stated its approval of the expansion plan, which will need the cooperation of the litany of energy companies involved.
“This important infrastructure project is needed to provide additional transportation capacity out of the highly productive Permian Basin. This pipeline’s strategic location offers connectivity to growing natural gas demand markets, helping to meet the need for increasing electricity generation and international demand for liquified natural gas (LNG) exports.” – Pierce H. Norton II, ONEOK president and chief executive officer
Enbridge will see its already impressive holdings in the Permian grow with the Eiger Express pipeline
Enbridge, which is one of the companies that form part of the Matterhorn joint venture, has praised the plan to expand the Eiger Express Pipeline, thereby increasing the company’s already impressive footprint in the American energy market. Enbridge holds a stake in several pipelines in the region, including but not limited to:
- 450-mile Whistler Pipeline from the Permian to Agua Dulce
- ADCC Pipeline, which serves Cheniere’s Corpus Christi LNG export facility
- Waha Gas Storage facility, which connects to key Permian egress pipelines
- Delaware Basin Residue (DBR) pipeline system that supplies the Whistler system
New pipelines are popping up all over the Permian and Texas region, and Enbridge’s leadership has noted the progress being made under the Matterhorn joint venture in accelerating the output capacity of gas in the US energy market.
“You rarely see the scope of projects change drastically after they’re announced. Today’s announcement speaks to the record demand we are seeing for firm takeaway capacity in the Permian, and I’m proud to see our joint venture continue to win these contracts.” – Zeyd Khan, Enbridge’s Director of Business Development, Gas Transmission and Storage
Global trends show the significant expansion of the pipeline market
Annual reports for the energy market paint a pretty picture for the future of pipeline expansion in the global energy marketplace. A new report has been making the rounds, and it has outlined the expected expansion of the pipeline industry over the coming years. The New Build Oil and Gas Transmission Pipelines Projects Outlook Report 2025-2030 noted the expected surge in pipelines across the international oil and gas market over the next five years and exemplifies the global reliance on the conventional oil and gas sectors, respectively, amid a world that is calling for the end of the traditional energy sector.
