Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline said Tuesday on its earnings call that partial crude oil flows will start next week on Cactus II pipeline from west Texas to Corpus Christi. Plains said Cactus II has been completed, and it will begin full operation in 2020Q1. The Houston Chronicle reported, “This is considered a major project toward relieving pipeline shortages in the booming Permian Basin. Many companies are trucking crude because of a lack of major pipelines to carry oil to the major refining and port hubs in Houston and Corpus Christi.”
Plains also said it has added new partners for 650-mile Wink to Webster, another major Permian pipeline to Houston with ExxonMobil with expected start date of 2021. New partners are Marathon Petroleum pipeline spinoff MPLX, Israeli company Delek, and Diamondback Energy pipeline spinoff Rattler Midstream. Houston-based Lotus Midstream earlier was named as a partner.