The INGAA Foundation—the research arm of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA)—estimates that the US and Canada will require 25.25 bcfd of new natural gas pipeline capacity from 2028-37 to meet projected energy demand if current energy policies remain the same.
That will require 13,273 miles of pipelines during the period, at a cost of about $162.4 billion. In a low-carbon scenario, gas pipeline needs drop to 21.04 bcfd.
In its 2025 North American Midstream Infrastructure Report, INGAA said much of the short- to mid-term base-case demand relates to gas-fired power generation to meet data center consumption, which the US Department of Energy projects to almost triple from current levels to about 800 TWh/year by 2052.
The report’s base case forecasts that most of the short- to mid-term natural capacity expansions will occur in the Mid-Atlantic, requiring 2,395 miles of new pipeline, the West South Central (1,961 miles), the Mountain region (1,946 miles), and Texas (1,847 miles).
The study also anticipates $81.6 billion in needed investment for LNG export plants and $55.3 billion for oil pipelines in the 2028-37 period. LNG exports are the single-largest source of incremental gas demand, the report noted, with exports predicted to triple by 2050. The growth is supported by abundant domestic supply, pricing and rising global energy demand as importing countries displace higher-emissions fuels. LNG exports are higher in the low-carbon scenario than the base case–133 bcfd from 2030-40 in the low-carbon case, compared with 115.2 bcfd for the same period under the base case—reflecting increased fuel switching by importing nations.
“Meeting energy demand is a critical challenge right now, and this report, by the experts at the University of Houston, Wood Group, and ESMIA Consultants Inc., quantifies the necessary midstream infrastructure and corresponding development dollars needed to meet that demand,” said Hebe Shaw, executive director of the INGAA Foundation. “Meeting the energy needs of North America will require sustained investment and development, which must begin now to ensure a safe, reliable, and affordable energy system.”
To meet projected demand through 2052, the study forecasts that the US and Canada will require more than $1 trillion in new midstream capital investment, averaging $40–$48 billion/year across natural gas, oil, natural gas liquids, hydrogen and carbon dioxide infrastructure. The report estimates at least 37,000 miles of new natural gas transmission pipelines through 2052, including about 33,800 miles within the US, to move energy from producing regions to growing areas of demand. About 103,000 miles of new natural gas-gathering pipelines would connect upstream production to processing facilities and long-haul transmission systems.
