Austin County residents will soon begin hearing about the construction of progress as the Matterhorn Express Pipeline starts in the county.
The construction of the project is expected to begin in June 2023 and end by June 2024, with the project being in service by the third quarter of 2024. It is planned that the pipeline will begin in Pecos County and will extend over a distance of 580 miles to reach Wharton County. Natural gas from the Permian Basin will be transported through the pipeline at a rate of up to 2.5 billion cubic feet per day.
According to Forbes, the Matterhorn Express line would transport enough gas to heat 1.5 million homes every day.
The Matterhorn Express Pipeline project is being developed by WhiteWater Inc., a Texas-based infrastructure company, in partnership with Ridgemont Equity Partners and First Infrastructure Capital.
“WhiteWater is excited to partner with EnLink, Devon, and MPLX to develop incremental gas transportation out of the Permian Basin as production continues to grow in West Texas,” said Christer Rundlof, CEO of WhiteWater in a press release. “Matterhorn will provide premium market access with superior flexibility for Permian Basin shippers while playing a critical role in minimizing flared volumes.”
According to the companies that are constructing the pipeline, the Permian Basin is expected to continue to grow, which means there will be a need for more takeaway capacity in order to transport natural gas to the market. A number of shippers have already approved the Matterhorn Express Pipeline, demonstrating its necessity.
The pipeline quickly became a topic of discussion among landowners in Austin County that would be affected by it. As a result of the state law allowing pipeline companies to use eminent domain in a take that is for 'public use,' residents may not be able to avoid the easements required for the Matterhorn Express Pipeline.
As far as eminent domain rights are concerned, it is true that the project does have this right, however, it has been reported that it is only used as a last resort.
Austin County Judge Tim Lapham invited representatives from the pipeline to come to an Austin County Commissioners Court meeting on Aug. 3 and brief them on the pipeline and how it might affect the county.
“When it was first announced that it was coming through. I had quite a few people calling me and asking me about the information on it,” Lapham said.
Lapham suggested that landowners speak with a lawyer that specializes in dealing with pipeline companies. The pipeline is still negotiating with landowners before coming back to speak with the commissioner's court.
“There's a lot of things that you can negotiate with the pipeline company, rather than just taking that first initial offer that they give you,” Lapham said.
Lapham said there has been a mixed reaction among residents from Austin County.
“If it’s not coming through your properties, then those people aren't too concerned about it. But for the land owners that this pipeline is coming through, are not real happy a 42-inch natural gas pipeline, it’s a big thing,” he said.
In the construction phase of the project, more than 3,500 people are expected to be employed. There will be 50 permanent jobs created in Texas following the completion of the project.
“They'll be a little bit of local hires, probably not very much. They'll use a big construction crew that will come in and put the pipe in. So there, there'll be very few local people that will be hired out of the project,” Lapham said.
It's possible that there will be more pipelines laid in Austin County in the near future. Lapham said that it is common for pipelines to run alongside one another once they are built.
“There are a few reasons, one is to keep all of a bunch together so that they're not spread all out everywhere,” Lapham explained. “The other reason is because if a pipeline has come through a piece of property then those landowners have usually already dealt with them and it's not as hard to put another pipe beside one that is already built vs building one where there wasn't one.”
The pipeline will include features such as remote shutdown after it has been built. When a problem is suspected, pipeline controllers will be able to shut down the pipeline system remotely and the line can only be restarted after a visual inspection by field personnel. On the pipeline route, pipeline markers will also be installed in line-of-sight indicating the general location of the pipeline, including crossings of roads, properties, and creeks.
As a means of minimizing effects on Austin County landowners, Matterhorn Express intends to use best management practices during construction to minimize erosion and sedimentation. Aside from returning the area of impacts to preexisting contours, they also intend to ensure vegetation is reestablished and allow areas outside of our permanent right-of-way to return to their previous condition.
A Matterhorn Express representative should have contacted homeowners in Austin County if the pipeline is planned to pass through their property.
Matterhorn Express representatives said they are committed to being good neighbors, looking forward to working together and incorporating residents' feedback into the proposed route and overall project design.
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