Momentum Midstream is reportedly the subject of a $5.5B pursuit, with Williams (WMB) named as the rumored buyer. The more durable story is what any acquirer of Momentum would gain: control of the infrastructure connecting Haynesville supply to the fastest-growing demand center in US natural gas.
Momentum is the fastest-growing gathering system in the Haynesville because it directly links to LNG demand, and that link is what makes the asset valuable regardless of who ends up owning it.
East Daley Analytics’ Macro Supply & Demand model supports this thesis. We forecast US LNG feedgas demand to increase from 19.1 Bcf/d in January 2026 to 36.5 Bcf/d by December 2030, absorbing roughly 73% of the 23.7 Bcf/d growth in Lower 48 production (see table). Over the same period, ArkLaTex (Haynesville) production grows by 7.8 Bcf/d, more than the Permian’s 6.2 Bcf/d increase, despite starting from a smaller base.
An acquirer would be buying a meaningful position behind that growth. East Daley models rigs and flow data for Momentum’s assets and forecasts future activity (shown below from Energy Data Studio). Momentum’s systems touch more than 7,000 producing wells across Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas and include gathering, treating and processing infrastructure. The most strategic asset is New Generation Gas Gathering (NG3), a roughly 250-mile pipeline capable of moving up to 2.3 Bcf/d from East Texas and northern Louisiana to the Gillis hub, a key gateway into southwest Louisiana’s LNG corridor. Momentum also holds the former Midcoast pipe, acquired with Midcoast Energy’s East Texas platform in 2022, giving the system a second outlet toward the Houston Ship Channel.
For a buyer that already holds a gathering position in the region, the value compounds. Williams, for instance, already moves ~3.4 Bcf/d through its Louisiana/Magnolia and Trace Midstream systems; combining that with Momentum’s ~2.2 Bcf/d would create a pro forma ArkLaTex position of ~5.6 Bcf/d and pair Momentum’s gathering with existing long-haul transportation on the Transcontinental system — the kind of wellhead-to-LNG position that supports acreage dedications, treating and compression optimization, and control over where incremental supply flows.
The larger point holds independent of any single buyer: Whoever acquires Momentum is making a bet that the Haynesville wins the LNG buildout, and that control of the corridor is worth more than Momentum’s current cash flow suggests. – Jaxson Fryer Tickers: WMB.
One Market, One Model: Gain a Holistic View of North America Supply & Demand
East Daley Analytics is pleased to announce the Canada Supply & Demand report. The Canada S&D completes our North American model, providing a fully integrated supply and demand forecast for crude oil and natural gas. East Daley follows molecules from Canadian production through US infrastructure to end-markets. Clients now have a continental view to anticipate trends, from how Canadian gas is reshaping Midwest markets, to how crude imports flow to Gulf Coast refiners. The Canada S&D report and dataset is available exclusively in Energy Data Studio. Reach out to learn more about East Daley’s North American energy model.
Reading the Signals: Staying Ahead of Gas, Crude & NGL Markets Through Year-End
Volatility is defining today’s energy markets, and East Daley’s July webinar will help make sense of what’s next.
Prices are the signal producers can’t ignore. Natural gas prices remain under pressure while crude oil markets continue to react to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. When realized prices compress, producers respond: deferring completions, high-grading acreage and re-underwriting economics in real time. The question isn’t whether producers are adapting, it’s how fast, and where the next pressure point emerges.
Infrastructure is the other half of the equation. In the NGL market, rising Waha gas prices, driven by new pipeline capacity, are eroding the cost advantage that’s long favored ethane rejection. In the Permian, the math is even more binding: How much longer can oil and associated gas production keep growing as crude takeaway capacity tightens? Infrastructure doesn’t just move barrels. It sets the ceiling on what producers can economically bring to market.
And none of this happens in isolation. Gas, crude and NGLs are structurally linked through associated production, processing economics and shared basin infrastructure. A shift in one commodity’s price or takeaway capacity ripples through the others, which means forecasting any single molecule in a vacuum gets you the wrong answer.
Join East Daley’s analysts as they connect these dots: breaking down the market forces shaping 2H26, what they mean for producers and midstream operators, and the key indicators to watch in the months ahead.
Click here to register for our July webinar on Wednesday, July 29 at 10:00 am MT.
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