Major midstream projects don’t appear overnight. They move from public announcements to quiet, technical filings that signal real execution. Brazos Midstream’s Sundance II gas processing expansion in Martin County shows that arc clearly.
August 2025: The Public Signal
In August 2025, Greg Abbott announced Brazos Midstream as a qualified project under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation Program (JETI).
The headline details:
- $185 million capital investment
- 300 MMcf/d cryogenic gas processing plant (Sundance II)
- Location: Martin County, Midland Basin
- Total Midland Basin processing capacity rising to ~500 MMcf/d
At the time, the announcement framed the project around jobs, economic impact, and Texas’ role in meeting rising energy demand. What it didn’t show — yet — was how the infrastructure would be tied together on the ground.
Early 2026: The Execution Signal
Fast forward to January 2026, and the quieter pieces start to appear.
Brazos Midstream Operating III, LLC filed a Permit by Rule (PBR) notification with TCEQ for the South Interconnect Station in Martin County:
- Authorized under 30 TAC §106.352 (Oil & Gas Production Facilities – Level 2)
- Notification-only filing
- $25 fee
- No Title V permit required
This type of filing is easy to overlook — but it’s where projects become real.
An interconnect station is the physical handoff point where gas is:
- Metered for custody transfer
- Pressure-matched
- Routed between gathering systems, processing plants, and downstream pipelines
In practical terms: this is how gas gets to Sundance II.
How the Timeline Fits
The sequence matters.
- Aug 2025: State incentives and public backing confirm Sundance II is shovel-ready
- Late 2025 / Early 2026: Brazos begins registering the system-level infrastructure needed to move gas
- Result: Processing capacity and connectivity advance together
This is textbook midstream development — secure incentives, finalize design, then quietly build the connective tissue that ensures throughput.
Why Martin County and the Midland Basin
Martin County sits in the core of the Midland Basin, where oil-driven development produces large volumes of associated gas. As the Permian continues to account for roughly a quarter of Lower-48 gas production, processing and takeaway capacity are no longer optional — they are mission-critical.
Sundance II isn’t just adding nameplate capacity. It’s being integrated into a broader gathering and interconnect network designed to handle sustained volumes.
Policy Meets Physical Infrastructure
JETI incentives support projects that are:
- Capital-intensive
- Long-lived
- Operationally credible
The January 2026 interconnect filing is the physical proof point that Sundance II has moved beyond announcement and into execution.
Bottom Line
The August 2025 announcement told the market what Brazos Midstream planned to build.
The early-2026 interconnect filing shows how it’s being built into the system.
Together, they paint a clear picture: Brazos is investing ahead of volumes, building durable midstream infrastructure in the Midland Basin, and positioning itself for long-term associated gas growth — not reacting to constraints, but planning around them.
