The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) has recorded a Pipeline Addition (PA) for the Bastrop Lateral on the Matterhorn Express Pipeline system. This filing updates the official T-4 permit for the system and signals continued fine-tuning of one of Texas’s most important west-to-east natural gas corridors.
Permit Snapshot
- System: Matterhorn Express Pipeline
- Lateral: Bastrop Lateral – PA (Pipeline Addition)
- Permittee / Operator: WWM Operating, LLC (WhiteWater Midstream affiliate)
- Regulated Entity / Owner: Matterhorn Express Pipeline LLC (Gas Utility)
- T-4 Permit No.: 10355
- Issued: Oct 31, 2025 (valid through Jul 31, 2026)
- Pipeline Addition (PA) Distance: ≈29.97 miles
- Amendment Mix on This Filing:
- PA (Pipeline Addition) — Bastrop Lateral (29.97 mi)
- OM (Other Modifications) — 49.52 mi (map alignment updates on laterals/loops)
- NC (No Change) — 627.16 mi (core route unchanged)
- Notes from RRC Filing:
- “Bastrop Lateral – PA” (new addition)
- “MXP TGL Lateral – OM (modified for spatial alignment)”
- “MXP Stanton Loop Lateral – OM (modified for spatial alignment)”
- “No Gas Gathering”
Quick Background: What is Matterhorn Express?
The Matterhorn Express Pipeline is a major intrastate natural gas system built to transport Permian Basin gas eastward from the Waha hub area toward Katy and Wharton, Texas. The project spans about 580 miles, with extensions across roughly 19 counties and connections into Central Texas and Gulf Coast markets.
It’s jointly owned by WhiteWater Midstream, EnLink Midstream, Devon Energy, and MPLX LP, and designed for 2.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of throughput capacity. Commercial flows began in late 2024, solidifying Matterhorn’s role as a critical outlet for Permian gas headed toward LNG terminals and Texas power demand centers.
What the Bastrop Lateral – PA Signals
1. Targeted Expansion in a Strategic County
Adding a 29.97-mile lateral in Bastrop County enhances regional connectivity where industrial growth and new gas-fired power loads are accelerating. This move suggests new offtake commitments or industrial users needing firm supply.
2. System Optimization, Not Overhaul
While the mainline remains unchanged (627+ miles marked “No Change”), the lateral addition and map refinements (OM adjustments) show WhiteWater’s ongoing efforts to optimize geometry and right-of-way, not to re-route major segments.
3. Growing Market Response
Lateral build-outs like this usually follow signed long-term transport or delivery agreements, often tied to power generation, industrial gas supply, or LNG compression feedstock positioning.
County & Route Context
Bastrop County, located east of Austin, bridges Texas’s Central industrial corridor and the Gulf Coast energy grid. It’s emerging as a natural location for peaker plants, data centers, and energy-intensive manufacturing, all of which require reliable natural gas delivery.
This 29.97-mile lateral effectively:
- Expands reach to new industrial zones and power facilities.
- Adds redundancy and optionality for downstream gas flow management.
- Creates ancillary work scopes for measurement, compression, and control infrastructure.
What It Means for Oil & Gas Sales Teams
1. Live Opportunity Tracking
The “Bastrop Lateral – PA” is a tangible signal that procurement and construction budgets are moving in Central Texas. Sales teams should mark Bastrop County and adjacent markets (Lee, Williamson, Fayette) for 2025–26 project monitoring.
2. Project Lifecycle Targeting
- Pre-construction: Surveying, ROW clearing, environmental, and civils.
- Build phase: Line pipe, HDD, valves, coatings, CP, measurement skids, compression, E&I.
- Commissioning / O&M: Integrity digs, M&R service, automation, SCADA, and remote-site security.
3. Tailored Messaging
- Reference the “Bastrop Lateral – PA (29.97 miles) under T-4 #10355” in outreach for credibility.
- Align your value proposition to reliability, safety, and speed to gas.
- Highlight experience in lateral construction and regulatory compliance under RRC and PHMSA standards.
4. CRM Application
Create a project record in your CRM labeled
“Matterhorn Express – Bastrop Lateral (PA, 29.97 mi)”
Tag counties, contractors, and likely buyers (pipeline operators, EPCs, and measurement integrators). Track activity phases to align marketing timing and follow-ups.
Bottom Line
The 29.97-mile Bastrop Lateral shows WhiteWater Midstream’s continued expansion of the Matterhorn Express system to meet growing Texas gas demand. For sales and business development teams, it’s a direct signal of contracted infrastructure spend, new local vendors, and multi-phase opportunities that will ripple through the supply chain from survey crews to SCADA integrators.
