Natural gas infrastructure is quietly becoming one of the most critical bottlenecks in the Delaware Basin. Operators in Lea County are drilling deeper benches, running aggressive frac designs, and producing higher-GOR wells than ever before — but gas takeaway and treating capacity have struggled to keep pace.
To solve this, Producers Midstream (via Lea Midstream, LLC) has brought online one of the most detailed, modern, and expansion-ready gas-processing facilities in the northern Delaware: The Dude Processing Plant. And thanks to the plant’s recently filed air permit application, we get a rare, granular look under the hood at exactly how it’s engineered to handle the basin’s next wave of development.
According to a document from August 2024, the application describes the facility as a new-build natural gas processing plant located 12.3 miles west-northwest of Monument, NM, designed to compress, sweeten, dehydrate, and stabilize Delaware Basin gas streams.
A Strategic Location in the Heart of High-Growth Lea County
The Dude Plant is positioned at:
- Latitude: 32.65984° N
- Longitude: –103.485108° W
- Elevation: 3,863 ft
Located on private land, the facility sits almost directly in the flow path of some of Lea County’s most prolific multi-bench development programs.
This location provides three advantages:
- Direct gathering access to multi-operator activity corridors.
- Short haul distance for trucks, especially for condensate and produced water.
- Room to expand capacity as regional gas volumes continue rising.
Plant Capacity: Built for Today, Scaled for Tomorrow
The permit authorizes 55 MMscf/d of natural gas throughput on day one.
Though the permit reflects the initial configuration, Producers Midstream has publicly outlined plans to expand the plant to 240 MMcf/d by Q3 2026 (from your earlier notes). This expansion aligns with the basin’s trajectory — where operators are producing more gas per lateral, with higher rates of NGL-rich production and deep-bench pressure regimes.
Additional throughput details from the permit include:
Condensate Handling
- 234 bbl/d (represented as “oil” in the permit)
Produced Water
- 11.2 bbl/d authorized throughput
What the Plant Actually Does: Full Process Overview
The Dude Plant performs four core midstream functions:
1. Compression
Seven compressor engines plus one mobile turbine provide horsepower for field gas gathering and plant operations.
2. Sweetening
An amine unit removes H₂S and CO₂ from sour gas.
- Design capacity: 55 MMscf/d
- Rich amine flowrate: 427 gal/min
- Lean amine flowrate: 400 gal/min
3. Dehydration
A glycol dehydrator (“DEHY-1”) handles water removal.
- Circulation rate: 7 gpm
4. Liquids Handling
Condensate and produced water generated at the inlet separator and dehydrator are stored onsite in tanks and hauled off by truck.
Equipment Breakdown: A Modern, High-Horsepower Plant
The permit lists an extensive equipment lineup designed for reliability, emissions control, and operational flexibility.
According to a document from August 2024:
Prime Movers & Compression
- Three Caterpillar G3516 LE (1,340 hp) engines (ENG-1, ENG-5, ENG-6)
- Four Caterpillar G3606 LE (1,775 hp) engines (ENG-2, ENG-3, ENG-4, ENG-7)
- One Solar SMT60 mobile turbine (5,000 kW) (TB-1)
Treating & Dehydration
- Amine treating unit (55 MMscf/d)
- Glycol dehydrator (DEHY-1)
- Two reboilers (2 MMBtu/hr and 3.6 MMBtu/hr)
Thermal & Hot Oil Systems
- 26.4 MMBtu/hr hot oil heater
- 5.074 MMBtu/hr heater
- 10+ MMBtu/hr hot oil heater (HT-1)
Storage Tanks
- Eight 500-bbl condensate tanks
- Four produced water tanks
- Additional amine, TEG, RO-water, and antifreeze tanks (all exempt from permitting thresholds)
Control Devices
- Low-pressure flare (LP FLARE) — amine unit off-gas
- High-pressure emergency flare (HP FLARE) — SSM & emergency scenarios
- COMB-1 — glycol dehydrator emissions
- COMB-2 — tanks + truck loading + VRU downtime
- VRU (Vapor Recovery Unit) — primary tank emissions control
Emissions Control: A Detailed Look at Compliance Engineering
The Dude Plant permit gives an unusually transparent view of how modern Delaware Basin gas plants are designed for compliance.
1. Tank Emissions → VRU + Combustor (COMB-2)
- VRU handles primary capture of tank vapors.
- COMB-2 acts as secondary control during the mandated 5% VRU downtime.
- Controlled to 98% destruction efficiency (per manufacturer specs).
2. Glycol Dehydrator (DEHY-1) → COMB-1
- All dehydration emissions routed to a combustion device.
- 98% destruction efficiency.
3. Amine Unit → LP FLARE
- All acid gas (H₂S-bearing) sent to the low-pressure flare.
- 98% DRE when supported by MSS.
- H₂S mole loading: 0.7%.
4. Truck Loading → COMB-2
- VOC control through a combustion device.
- Included in the federally enforceable limits.
5. Fugitive H₂S
- Facility is below the H₂S screening threshold, reducing monitoring requirements.
6. Startup, Shutdown, Maintenance (SSM)
- SSM emissions are included within the plant’s normal allowable emissions, not separate limits.
- HP flare handles high-pressure SSM events.
Operational Schedule & Uptime Expectations
The plant is authorized to operate:
- 24 hours/day
- 365 days/year
- 8,760 hours/year
This is essential for Delaware Basin operators who often run:
- Large pad developments
- High-production early-life wells
- Multi-well simultaneous operations (SIMOPS)
Every hour of downtime creates a risk of flaring constraints — making plants like Dude strategically important.
Why This Plant Matters for the Delaware Basin
1. It Relieves a Real Gas Bottleneck
Lea County operators often hit gas-processing constraints during periods of intense frac activity. The Dude Plant’s new horsepower, sweetening, and dehydration capacity directly support increasing GOR trends.
2. It Enables Multi-Operator Development
The plant is built for a multi-shipper environment, not a single-operator captive system.
3. It Supports Next-Generation Wells
With deeper drilling into Wolfcamp and Bone Spring benches, gas ratios are rising. The Dude Plant’s treating units and compression horsepower reflect these realities.
4. It’s Designed for Growth Up to 240 MMcf/d
Producers Midstream’s expansion plan aligns with expected basin gas growth through 2027.
5. It Adds Stability to a Rapidly Intensifying Region
Gas gathering and processing capacity directly impact:
- Flaring rates
- Well economics
- Midstream constraints
- Completion timing
- Pad-level production optimization
In other words: Operators cannot execute full-scale development programs without plants like this.
Final Takeaway
The Dude Processing Plant is more than a routine midstream installation — it’s strategic infrastructure built to keep pace with the most active drilling county in the entire United States.
With:
- 55 MMscf/d initial capacity
- Full sweetening + dehydration
- 7 engines + 1 turbine
- 12 storage tanks
- 2 combustors + 2 flares + VRU
- Comprehensive emissions controls
- A clear path to 240 MMcf/d by 2026
…this plant is positioned to become a backbone asset for Delaware Basin development over the next decade.
