Enbridge, partners announce pipeline’s sanctioning, Blackcomb commissioning as Permian gas exports ramp up
It will potentially be the largest LNG export facility on the Gulf Coast.
And today, Enbridge announced details of another conduit to feed its massive projected output.
NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG facility, which expects to ship its first product in 2027, has about 6.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), or 48 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), of LNG export capacity under construction and in development.
Five liquefaction trains, or large processing facilities, will convert natural gas to LNG for export via the facility’s two marine berths at the Port of Brownsville, Texas—with further expansion plans in the works that include three more trains and another marine berth.
On July 31, as part of Enbridge’s 2026 Q2 earnings call, we announced that the Whistler joint venture partnership—in which we own a 19% stake—has sanctioned the Bay Runner Twin pipeline to deliver Permian natural gas to NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG facility.
Permian gas transmission “is something that we've looked at strategically and advanced very intentionally in the past few years,” said Enbridge’s Matthew Akman, Executive Vice President and President of our Gas Transmission business, said during our Q2 earnings call.
Serving additional Rio Grande LNG trains
The Bay Runner Twin, to be built in the corridor of the currently-under-construction Bay Runner pipeline, will provide up to 2.6 Bcf/d of incremental capacity between Agua Dulce and Rio Grande.
“We’ve officially sanctioned the Bay Runner Twin to service additional trains at Rio Grande LNG,” said Enbridge President and CEO Greg Ebel during our Q2 earnings call.
Enbridge also announced on July 31 that the Blackcomb Pipeline, which will move up to 2.5 Bcf/d of gas from the Permian to Agua Dulce, has begun commissioning and will soon enter service and ramp up through the second half of 2026.
The Bay Runner and Bay Runner Twin lines are effectively extensions of the operational Whistler Pipeline, a 450-mile line traveling from the Permian to Agua Dulce.
Enbridge: A player in Permian gas egress
With significant, growing Gulf Coast storage assets and an expanding portfolio of Permian egress pipelines, Enbridge is connected to every operating LNG export facility on the USGC.
As part of various partnerships that include WhiteWater/I Squared Capital, MPLX LP, ONEOK Inc. and Targa Resources, Enbridge’s ownership stake in other Texas gas assets includes:
