DT Midstream says LEAP Phase 5 is designed to add 200 MMcf/d of Haynesville takeaway capacity, Viking Phase 1 carries a company-estimated $140 million to $160 million investment, and Guardian Pipeline has filed its G3 application with FERC.
Published by Allstream Insiders – Efrain Garcia
Allstream Insiders Summary
DT Midstream said projects that have reached final investment decision through 2030 now represent approximately $2 billion, or about 60% of its $3.4 billion probability-weighted 2026–2030 capital-expenditure backlog. The company identified approximately $300 million of new project commitments during the second quarter of 2026.
The latest commitments include LEAP Phase 5, which DT Midstream says is designed to add 200 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) and increase Louisiana Energy Access Project capacity to 2.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). The expansion is backed by long-term agreements with two producers and includes incremental compression and pipeline looping. The company expects to place it in service during the second half of 2028.
DT Midstream also reached FID on Viking Gas Transmission Phase 1 modernization, a $140 million to $160 million program targeted for the fourth quarter of 2028, and on a 100 MMcf/d Appalachia Gathering System expansion expected in service during the fourth quarter of 2027.
In the Upper Midwest, the company filed its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Section 7(c) application for the Guardian Pipeline G3 expansion in June 2026. The project is designed to add approximately 537 MMcf/d through compression and looping, carries a company-estimated $850 million to $930 million total capital investment and targets service in the fourth quarter of 2028.
DT Midstream Project and Capital Tracker
| Project or program | Company-reported scale | Current stage | Target in-service date |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEAP Phase 5 | 200 MMcf/d; total LEAP capacity to 2.3 Bcf/d | FID reached; long-term producer contracts executed | Second half of 2028 |
| Appalachia Gathering System expansion | 100 MMcf/d to NEXUS and Texas Eastern | FID reached; long-term gathering agreement executed | Fourth quarter of 2027 |
| Viking Phase 1 modernization | $140 million to $160 million | FID reached | Fourth quarter of 2028 |
| Guardian G3 expansion | Approximately 537 MMcf/d; $850 million to $930 million | FID reached; FERC Section 7(c) application filed | Fourth quarter of 2028 |
| Guardian Phase 1 modernization | $130 million to $150 million | In execution; FERC advance-notification approval received | Second half of 2027 |
| Midwestern Phase 1 modernization | $140 million to $160 million | In execution | First half of 2028 |
The capital ranges shown for Viking and the interstate-pipeline modernization phases are project-level company estimates. DT Midstream presents the Guardian G3 range as total capital investment, including allowance for funds used during construction.
What Does LEAP Phase 5 Add in the Haynesville?
DT Midstream says LEAP Phase 5 is designed to add 200 MMcf/d of capacity and increase the 221-mile Louisiana Energy Access Project system from 2.1 Bcf/d to 2.3 Bcf/d. The company expects to place the expansion in service during the second half of 2028.
The company said the Haynesville system expansion is supported by long-term agreements with two producers. The scope includes incremental connectivity in the Carthage area of East Texas, along with additional compression and pipeline looping on LEAP.
DT Midstream describes LEAP as a gathering lateral that moves Haynesville natural gas to Gulf Coast markets. Its existing system has connections serving industrial and liquefied natural gas corridors, and the company says the pipeline could ultimately be expanded to approximately 4 Bcf/d. That larger figure represents expansion capability, not a sanctioned capacity level beyond Phase 5.
What Is Included in the Viking Modernization Program?
Viking Phase 1 modernization is a company-estimated $140 million to $160 million program targeted for service during the fourth quarter of 2028. DT Midstream says the work is intended to improve system efficiency and reliability and expects the investment to be recovered through a future rate case. Any rate recovery remains subject to the applicable regulatory review and approval process.
Viking Gas Transmission is a 674-mile bidirectional interstate pipeline serving utility customers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota. The modernization program is separate from DT Midstream’s previously sanctioned Viking Pipeline expansion, which remains in execution with a fourth-quarter 2027 target.
Viking is the third system included in DT Midstream’s multiphase interstate modernization program:
- Guardian Phase 1: $130 million to $150 million, with service expected in the second half of 2027
- Midwestern Phase 1: $140 million to $160 million, with service expected in the first half of 2028
- Viking Phase 1: $140 million to $160 million, with service expected in the fourth quarter of 2028
DT Midstream reported receiving FERC approval for Guardian’s Phase 1 advance-notification application during the second quarter. The company continues to assess additional modernization requirements across the three interstate systems.
Where Does Guardian G3 Stand in the FERC Process?
Guardian Pipeline filed its Section 7(c) application for the G3 expansion with FERC in June 2026. The filing moves the sanctioned project into federal certificate review; it does not constitute construction authorization.
DT Midstream’s project materials describe G3 as an approximately 537 MMcf/d expansion designed to increase Guardian’s delivery capacity into Upper Midwest markets. The physical scope combines new compression and pipeline looping, with a target in-service date in the fourth quarter of 2028.
The company estimates total capital investment at $850 million to $930 million, including allowance for funds used during construction. The project is anchored by precedent agreements with five investment-grade utilities under 20-year negotiated-rate contracts.
Guardian is a 263-mile interstate pipeline connecting the Chicago Hub with demand centers in the Upper Midwest. DT Midstream’s second-quarter materials list G3 as in execution, while a separate potential Guardian G4 expansion remains under market evaluation and has not reached FID.
Appalachia Expansion Targets 100 MMcf/d to NEXUS and Texas Eastern
DT Midstream reached FID on a 100 MMcf/d Appalachia Gathering System expansion supported by a new long-term gathering agreement. The company expects the project in service during the fourth quarter of 2027.
The expansion is designed to move incremental gathered gas to NEXUS Gas Transmission and Texas Eastern Transmission. DT Midstream’s Appalachia Gathering System is a 154-mile network that gathers Marcellus natural gas and delivers into downstream pipeline infrastructure.
The company also reported commercializing a new NEXUS interconnect intended to serve a data-center generation project. DT Midstream classifies that interconnect as a commercial milestone, while the 100 MMcf/d Appalachia expansion is included in its list of projects that have reached FID.
How Much Capital Is DT Midstream Planning for 2026?
DT Midstream expects total 2026 capital investment of $490 million to $570 million, including $420 million to $480 million of growth capital and $70 million to $90 million of maintenance capital.
The company reports approximately $425 million of committed capital for 2026 and approximately $560 million for 2027, for about $985 million of committed investment over the two-year period. These amounts cover multiple projects and should not be assigned to any single pipeline or expansion.
For the first six months of 2026, DT Midstream recorded $193 million of total capital investment, including contributions to equity-method investments and plant and equipment expenditures. The company identified Blue Union Gathering, Guardian, Appalachia Gathering, Midwestern, Viking and Ohio Utica Gathering as the primary areas of investment during the period.
Which DT Midstream Projects Are in Execution?
DT Midstream’s second-quarter project list contains nine investments that the company identifies as having reached FID, with target in-service dates between the first quarter of 2027 and the fourth quarter of 2028. DT Midstream reported that the projects in its execution portfolio remained on schedule and on budget as of the presentation date.
The earliest target is Millennium R2R in the first quarter of 2027, followed by Guardian Phase 1 modernization and the Viking Pipeline expansion during 2027. The 2028 schedule includes Midwestern Phase 1 modernization, LEAP Phase 5, Viking Phase 1 modernization, Guardian G3 and the Vector 2028 expansion.
DT Midstream separately identifies several pre-FID opportunities. Those include the Midwestern MIST expansion, Vector 2030, potential Millennium and NEXUS expansions and Guardian G4. The company places these projects in binding-agreement negotiations or market evaluation rather than in its sanctioned execution list.
Allstream Perspective
DT Midstream’s second-quarter update added three projects to its FID portfolio and reported the filing of Guardian G3’s Section 7(c) application with FERC. For LEAP Phase 5, the company identified a planned capacity addition and a physical scope that includes incremental compression and pipeline looping.
The modernization program includes separate regulated investments across Guardian, Midwestern and Viking. DT Midstream has disclosed project-level capital ranges and target in-service dates for all three phases, providing project-specific planning data in addition to its companywide capital guidance.
DT Midstream describes its $3.4 billion 2026–2030 capital-expenditure backlog as probability-weighted. Approximately $2 billion represents projects that have reached FID, while the balance includes opportunities at earlier commercial stages.
Company-disclosed physical scopes across the sanctioned projects include pipeline looping, compression, gathering-system expansion and interstate-pipeline modernization.
