ONEOK Partners LP will invest $70 million to $100 million to expand its ONEOK WesTex Transmission intrastate natural gas pipeline system, the company said July 30. The system will be expanded by increasing the throughput by 260 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of natural gas by first-quarter 2017.

ONEOK WesTex is in the Texas Panhandle and the West Texas Permian Basin. The expansion includes building two new compressor stations and upgrading or expanding three existing stations. There will be about 38,800 extra horsepower, the company added. The qualifying bids for ONEOK WesTex surpassed 500MMcf/d. The open season closed Feb. 27, the company said.

The Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), Mexico's national electric utility, will be the anchor shipper, with firm capacity for 25 years.

The first phase of capacity is about 100MMcf/d, available in first-quarter 2016. The second phase is about 400MMcf/d, available in first-quarter 2017.

ONEOK WesTex Transmission runs about 2,227 miles. This project is subject to customary governmental approvals.

The Roadrunner Gas Transmission pipeline will extend from ONEOK WesTex’s natural gas pipeline system at Coyanosa, Texas, to a new border crossing connection near San Elizario, Texas. It is a 50:50 joint venture with a subsidiary of Fermaca Infrastructure BV, a Mexico City-based natural gas infrastructure company that will transport natural gas from the West Texas Permian Basin to Mexico. There are about 200 miles of new, 30-inch diameter pipeline to transport up to 640MMcf/d of gas, 570MMcf/d of which will go to Mexican markets.

ONEOK Partners is based in Tulsa, Okla.