(Reuters) — Midstream company ONEOK said on Aug. 5 it has made a final investment decision to build a new natural gas processing plant in the Delaware Basin, expanding its footprint in the top U.S. shale field as gas volumes surge.
Over the past two years, the company has been ramping up its presence in the Permian Basin — which consists of the Delaware Basin — through strategic moves such as acquiring NGP XI Midstream Holdings' stake in their Delaware Basin JV, purchasing a Gulf Coast NGL pipeline system and taking over Medallion Midstream and EnLink Midstream.
"The Permian Basin continues to be a key area of strategic growth for us and we will continue to be actively engaged in assessing opportunities to expand and enhance our integrated operations within the basin," Chief Commercial Officer Sheridan Swords said on a post-earnings call.
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The new Bighorn plant will have a capacity to process 300 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of natural gas and treat high-carbon dioxide gas, the company said.
The facility and associated treater are expected to cost about $365 million and begin service in mid-2027.
The plant is expected to increase ONEOK's processing capacity in the Delaware Basin, which lies between Texas and New Mexico, to 1.1 billion cubic feet per day, from roughly 700 MMcf/d currently, Swords said.
The company on Aug. 4 reported a core profit of $1.98 billion, missing analysts' expectations of $2.01 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
It also forecast 2026 adjusted core profit to be down 2% and expects mid to upper single-digit growth in EBITDA, compared with its prior forecast of 10% growth.
Shares of the company, which transports natural gas, natural gas liquids, refined products and crude oil, were down more than 5% in afternoon trading.