Gulf Coast Midstream Partners LLC (GCM) has filed an application with Texas regulators to build the region’s first new salt dome natural gas storage facility in more than a decade.

The proposed Freeport Energy Storage & Sequestration Hub (FRESSH) project in Fort Bend County, TX, initially would be permitted for five caverns by the Texas Railroad Commission. The company expects to complete FID for a first phase of two caverns with 18.6 million Dth of working capacity by the third quarter and is targeting an in-service date of first quarter 2027.

The project comes amid renewed interest for salt storage with the rapid growth of LNG feed gas flows and renewable power generation that has turned Texas’ gas demand more volatile. Winter storms have added further wrinkles. Salt...