Devon Energy Corporation has taken a positive final investment decision on the Solitude Pipeline System, a WhiteWater-led joint venture that will build two 48-inch natural gas pipelines from the Permian Basin to Katy, Texas. Devon has secured firm transportation capacity on the system, the company said Aug. 17.

The joint venture is led by WhiteWater at 50%. MPLX holds 10%, Diamondback Energy and Western Midstream Partners each hold 7.5%, and Devon Energy holds the remaining 25%.

Solitude is designed for a phased build-out. The first phase, about 2.25 Bcf per day, is set to enter service in the second half of 2029. A similarly sized second phase follows in 2030, with room to expand further to meet shipper demand. Construction and in-service timing remain subject to customary regulatory approvals, Devon said.

Waha pricing and LNG demand

Permian producers have long absorbed volatile and periodically negative pricing at the Waha hub, where takeaway capacity has repeatedly failed to keep pace with associated gas growth, Devon said. Firm, long-haul capacity to the Gulf Coast would move the majority of Devon's Delaware gas out of Waha and into markets tied to expanding LNG export and power generation demand, with North American liquefaction capacity expected to more than double by the end of the decade.

Devon has already begun securing international LNG-linked pricing for that gas, including a 100 MMcf per day agreement starting in 2027 and an additional 150 MMcf per day starting in 2028.

Devon's president and CEO, Clay Gaspar, said Solitude "is not a standalone investment" and is the next step in an integrated model the company has been building for years.

An integrated Delaware position

Devon holds one of the largest operated positions in the economic core of the Delaware Basin, which the company said anchors more than half of its production and free cash flow. Solitude follows a series of moves to control the infrastructure that position depends on. Devon was a founding equity owner in Matterhorn Express, which it monetized in 2025 while retaining its transportation rights, and has secured an additional 550 MMcf per day of firm capacity on Blackcomb and Eiger. It also owns a 50% interest in Catalyst Midstream Partners, a processing joint venture with Howard Energy Partners, and operates 3.4 Bcf per day of gas compression capacity across its Stateline, Triple Crown and Cotton Draw systems.

Devon has built similar reach on the liquids side, with firm crude transportation to the Gulf Coast, FOB crude exports through its position at Ingleside, and an equity stake in Pin Oak. On power, the company has built about 1,200 miles of electrical distribution lines and four in-basin microgrids, and agreed to supply CPV's 1,350-megawatt Basin Ranch Energy Center in Ward County, Texas, with 115 MMcf per day starting in 2028.