The DeLa Express Project is a proposed long-haul pipeline in the US to transport liquids-rich natural gas to key demand markets.
The pipeline will be developed by DeLa Express, a subsidiary of Moss Lake Partners, a midstream logistics infrastructure company headquartered in Houston, Texas.
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Construction works are slated to commence in 2026 and end in 2028.
Once operational, the project will transport more than two billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of critical natural gas and liquids from the Permian Basin in West Texas to the consumer markets in and around Lake Charles, Louisiana.
DeLa Express Pipeline Route
The DeLa Express Project mainline pipeline will originate in Winkler County in Texas and terminate in Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana.
The pipeline will be approximately 645 miles long. It will also include six lateral pipelines with a combined length of 139 miles.
The main DeLa Express Pipeline will pass through the counties of Winkler, Ector, Midland, Glasscock, Sterling, Coke, Runnels, Coleman, Brown, Mills, Hamilton, Coryell, McLennan, Falls, Bell, Robertson, Milam, Brazos, and Grimes.
It will further connect Montgomery, Walker, San Jacinto, Liberty, Hardin, Jefferson, Orange Counties, and Calcasieu Parish.
The lateral pipelines will stretch to the Texas counties of Reeves, Loving, Andrews, and Ward.
Construction works would impact 12,940 acres of land, of which DeLa Express would maintain about 5,459 acres for permanent operations. The remaining acreage would be restored.
DeLa Express Pipeline Infrastructure
DeLa Express infrastructure will include a 645-mile (1,038km) long 42-inch diameter pipeline, six lateral extensions, multiple compressor stations and dewpoint control facilities along with other ancillary equipment and facilities.
The six lateral pipelines, totalling 139 miles, will be Field Gas Transport Lateral, Red Bluff Lateral, China Draw Lateral, Lea Lateral, Pecos Lateral, and Andrews Lateral.
The 42-inch diameter 60-mile long Field Gas Transport Lateral pipeline passes via the counties of Reeves, Loving, and Winkler.
A non-jurisdictional 35.5-mile long liquid line will also be constructed adjacent to the Field Gas Lateral by the developer.
The Red Bluff Lateral in Reeves will be a 8.3-mile 24-inch diameter pipeline.
The 6.7-mile long China Draw Lateral with a 30-inch diameter will also originate in Reeves, while the 5.9-mile, 30-inch diameter Lea Lateral will be in Loving County.
Winkler and Ward counties will be connected by a 33.8-mile, 30-inch diameter Pecos Lateral Pipeline. A non-jurisdictional liquid line would be built adjacent to the full-length Pecos Lateral.
In Winkler and Andrews counties, a 30-inch diameter, 24.3-mile long Andrews Lateral will be constructed along with a non-jurisdictional liquids line adjacent to its full length.
The project will feature six new electric-driven compressor stations, one each in Winkler, Glasscock, Coleman, Coryell, Brazos, and Liberty Counties.
Additionally, three new dew point control sites in Loving, Ward, and Andrews, one new stabilisation plant co-located with the Winkler compressor station, and 42 mainline and five lateral valve sites will be delivered as part of the project.
Multiple metre stations will be co-located at other above-ground facilities.
The infrastructure of DeLa Express Pipeline will also include pig launcher or receiver sites including four standalone sites and ten facilities co-located within other facilities above the ground.
The project is expected to create more than 5,300 development and construction jobs and more than 380 full-time jobs.
Benefits of DeLa Express Pipeline
The DeLa Express Pipeline will help in reducing carbon dioxide and methane emissions by offering an alternative of coal and refined oil products to the industrial markets.
Additionally, it will help in reducing environmental impact by transporting liquids-rich natural gas in a single mainline pipeline instead of multiple natural gas and y-grade pipelines and minimise natural gas flaring in the Permian Basin.
The project is also expected to explore the feasibility of electric compression and pumping technologies.
Key Contractors
In September 2024, Wood, a British multinational engineering and consulting company headquartered in Scotland, was selected as the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) contractor for the DeLa Express Pipeline Project.
As agreed, the company would design the mainland pipeline and associated lateral pipelines. It will also manage Burrow Global, the sub-contractor for the pipeline compressor station.
