Negative Prices, Rising Flaring Signal Pipeline Gridlock in Permian

Previously, we reported that natural gas at the Waha hub was selling for near-zero or sub-zero prices for much of 2024 thanks in large part to excess natural gas production in the Permian Basin coupled with limited takeaway capacity due to a shortage of gas pipelines. Indeed, prices at the hub spent half the year in negative territory, sinking to all-time low -$7/mmbtu at the end of August. This has become a recurrent challenge in recent years ever since the Permian Shale boom led to a surge in associated gas production. Consequently, Permian gas…