Global pipeline infrastructure investment runs at $30–40bn annually, but the top 10 pipeline projects 2026 represent a step-change in both scale and strategic intent. Three themes define the current construction landscape: European energy security buildout replacing Russian gas volumes, US Permian Basin takeaway capacity expansion driven by record crude and NGL production approaching 7 million bpd, and the first hydrogen and green ammonia export pipelines reaching construction or final investment decision. Capital costs across this list range from $1.5bn regional connectors to a $25bn proposed transcontinental corridor — the broadest spread in a single pipeline project ranking in recent memory.
How We Ranked the Top 10 Pipeline Projects 2026
Projects were ranked on four criteria: total capital value, strategic significance to regional or global energy supply, 2026 construction or commissioning status, and the degree to which each project addresses a structural supply gap. Projects already fully operational before 2025 were excluded; the list covers projects under construction, in commissioning, or at advanced development stage with FID confirmed or imminent. For the top 10 pipeline companies globally building and operating this infrastructure, see our dedicated ranking.
1. Coastal GasLink — British Columbia, Canada
Coastal GasLink is the defining pipeline project of the 2020s by capital cost. TC Energy’s 670 km natural gas pipeline from Dawson Creek to the LNG Canada terminal at Kitimat reached mechanical completion in 2023 after a final cost of $14.5bn — more than double the original $6.6bn budget. Gas commissioning flows ran through 2024–2025, with the pipeline now supplying feedgas for LNG Canada Train 1’s first LNG exports. Without Coastal GasLink, LNG Canada does not operate. The cost overrun story is significant: terrain, Indigenous rights negotiations, and COVID-19 disruption combined to make this among the most expensive per-kilometre gas pipelines ever constructed in North America.
2. Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline — West Africa
The most strategically ambitious pipeline project ever proposed in Africa, the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline would run 5,660 km from Nigeria through 13 West African countries to Morocco and on to Europe via Spain. Led by NNPC and Morocco’s ONHYM under African Energy Commission coordination, the project carries a $25bn estimated cost. Pre-FEED work continues in 2026, with financing and multi-government alignment the primary barriers to FID. If completed, the pipeline would transform West African gas monetisation and provide Europe with a southern Atlantic supply corridor — but the development timeline extends well beyond this decade.
3. East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) — Uganda/Tanzania
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline is the most controversial project on this list. TotalEnergies (62%), CNOOC (8%), UNOC (15%), and TPDC (15%) are advancing the 1,443 km heated crude pipeline from Hoima, Uganda to the port of Tanga, Tanzania at a total cost of $5bn. The pipeline uses electrical heat tracing throughout its length to keep waxy crude mobile — making it one of the longest electrically heated pipelines in the world. Capacity is 216,000 bpd. Multiple European and US banks withdrew financing following ESG pressure campaigns, but construction is advancing in 2026. The carbon lock-in debate and community displacement concerns have not halted progress.
4. Western Gateway Pipeline — USA
Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan announced a binding open season for the Western Gateway Pipeline in 2026, targeting Permian Basin NGL takeaway capacity to Gulf Coast fractionation and export infrastructure. As Permian production approaches 7 million bpd, takeaway constraints on NGLs are the binding bottleneck. The Western Gateway Pipeline open season signals serious commercial momentum. Kinder Morgan and Phillips 66 together control significant Gulf Coast fractionation and terminal capacity, giving the project integrated infrastructure backing that standalone projects cannot replicate. Capital cost has not been publicly disclosed at open season stage.
5. Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) Expansion — Greece/Albania/Italy
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline currently carries 10 bcm/year of Azerbaijani gas from the Greek-Turkish border through Albania and across the Adriatic to southern Italy. TAP AG’s expansion to 20 bcm/year is under active development, designated as a European Project of Common Interest. TAP is the western leg of the Southern Gas Corridor — the same supply route underpinning the UAE-Azerbaijan energy corridor that has gained new geopolitical weight in 2026. The expansion doubles European import capacity from one of the continent’s most reliable non-Russian supply routes. Compressor additions and receiving terminal upgrades at the Italian end are the primary capital items.
6. NEOM Green Hydrogen Pipeline — Saudi Arabia
The pipeline infrastructure at NEOM represents the first major hydrogen export pipeline project globally to reach advanced construction stage. The NEOM Green Hydrogen project — a joint venture between NEOM, Air Products, and ACWA Power — targets 1.2 million tonnes per year of green ammonia export from Saudi Arabia’s Neom region, using solar and wind power to electrolyse hydrogen before converting to ammonia for shipping. Total project cost is $8.4bn. Pipeline infrastructure connects electrolysis capacity to the ammonia synthesis and export terminal at Aqaba. First exports were targeted for 2026–2027, though the project has faced timeline pressure from electrolysis equipment supply chain constraints.
7. Mountain Valley Pipeline — Virginia/West Virginia, USA
After a decade of legal and regulatory obstruction, the Mountain Valley Pipeline reached full in-service in 2024 — making it the most delayed major US pipeline project in recent history. Equitrans Midstream (acquired by EQT Corporation in 2024) completed the 304-mile, 2 bcf/day Appalachian natural gas pipeline following Congressional intervention in the 2023 debt ceiling legislation to clear final permit hurdles. The pipeline carries Appalachian Basin gas to Southeast US markets and Transco interconnects. Its completion removes a long-standing takeaway constraint on Appalachian producers and demonstrates that politically contested infrastructure can ultimately be completed — a precedent with implications for other delayed US pipeline projects.
8. Baltic Pipe Expansion — Poland/Denmark/Norway
The Baltic Pipe entered service in October 2022, carrying Norwegian gas from the Danish North Sea to Poland via a 900 km system operated by GAZ-SYSTEM and Energinet. At operational capacity of 10 bcm/year, Baltic Pipe replaced a significant share of the Russian gas Poland previously imported. Expansion work targeting increased throughput is underway in 2026, focused on compressor upgrades and interconnection capacity into Central European markets. For underground gas storage strategy in Europe, Baltic Pipe supply reliability is a primary variable in storage refill calculations across Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
9. Scarborough to Pluto Pipeline — Western Australia
Woodside Energy’s 430 km trunkline connecting the offshore Scarborough gas field to the expanded Pluto LNG Train 2 at the Burrup Hub is targeting first gas in 2026. The $5.7bn project reached FID in 2021 and represents the primary feedgas supply replacement for declining North West Shelf volumes. Pluto Train 2 processes Scarborough gas into LNG for Asian export markets — sustaining Australian LNG export capacity at a time when competing supply from Qatar and US projects is growing. The pipeline crosses significant seabed distance in the Carnarvon Basin and involves Woodside’s largest single capital commitment in recent years.
10. H2Med / BarMar Hydrogen Corridor — Spain/France/Germany
The H2Med corridor — formally the BarMar subsea hydrogen pipeline from Barcelona to Marseille, connecting to German industrial demand via France — is the most strategically significant hydrogen infrastructure project in Europe. Enagás, GRTgaz, and Snam are the consortium partners across a proposed 3,000 km corridor with an estimated cost of €2.5bn. The project holds EU Project of Common Interest status. FID is expected in 2026–2027. H2Med positions the Iberian Peninsula as the primary hydrogen export hub for Northern Europe, leveraging Spain and Portugal’s renewable energy capacity. For pipeline companies with European infrastructure exposure, see the top 10 global pipeline operators involved in hydrogen transition planning.
Top 10 Pipeline Projects 2026: What Comes Next
The hydrogen pipeline FID cycle will define the 2027–2030 project pipeline more than any other single factor. H2Med, the NEOM export terminal expansion, and a growing cluster of European CO2 transport pipeline projects are all moving toward binding investment decisions. In North America, Permian Basin takeaway constraints on gas and NGLs will drive at least two to three further binding open seasons before 2028 — Enbridge’s integrated pipeline and terminal network and the Plains All American system, expanded by the $2.9bn EPIC Pipeline acquisition, are the primary beneficiaries of continued Permian volume growth. In Africa, the Nigeria-Morocco pipeline’s development timeline depends on multilateral financing structures that do not yet exist at scale. The Iraq-Turkiye pipeline and Cardinal Midstream’s Delaware Basin expansion represent the shorter-cycle project activity that will fill the gap while megaprojects advance through development phases.
What is the largest pipeline project under construction in 2026?
By capital cost, Coastal GasLink in British Columbia, Canada holds the record at $14.5bn final cost — more than double its original budget. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) at $5bn is the largest conventional crude pipeline project currently under active construction. The proposed Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline at $25bn estimated cost would exceed both, but remains in pre-FEED stage in 2026 and is not yet under construction.
Which pipeline projects are focused on hydrogen in 2026?
Two projects represent the leading edge of hydrogen pipeline infrastructure in 2026. The NEOM Green Hydrogen Pipeline in Saudi Arabia is the most advanced, supporting a $8.4bn joint venture between NEOM, Air Products, and ACWA Power targeting 1.2 million tonnes per year of green ammonia exports. The H2Med/BarMar corridor — a proposed subsea hydrogen pipeline from Spain to France connecting to Germany — holds EU Project of Common Interest status with FID expected 2026–2027. These are distinct: NEOM is converting hydrogen to ammonia for shipping, while H2Med would transport gaseous hydrogen via dedicated pipeline to European industrial users.
Why is the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) controversial?
EACOP has faced sustained opposition on environmental and human rights grounds. Critics cite the displacement of approximately 100,000 people along the pipeline route, the risk to water sources including Lake Victoria catchment areas, and the carbon lock-in implications of a long-life crude infrastructure project. Multiple European and US commercial banks and insurers withdrew from the project following ESG pressure campaigns. TotalEnergies and its partners have continued advancing construction despite the financing withdrawals, arguing the project supports Uganda and Tanzania’s sovereign right to monetise their hydrocarbon resources.
What pipeline projects are replacing Russian gas supply to Europe?
Three infrastructure corridors are central to European gas diversification from Russian supply. Baltic Pipe carries Norwegian gas to Poland and Central Europe at 10 bcm/year capacity, with expansion underway. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) carries Azerbaijani gas to Italy at 10 bcm/year, with expansion to 20 bcm/year in development. The Southern Gas Corridor — of which TAP is the western leg — is the primary Caspian supply route to Europe. Together these three corridors are designed to cover a significant share of the roughly 150 bcm/year that Europe previously imported from Russia.
How much does it cost to build a major pipeline in 2026?
Pipeline construction costs vary enormously based on distance, terrain, commodity type, and regulatory environment. Regional gas pipelines run $1–3bn for 300–500 km systems in accessible terrain. Coastal GasLink, at $14.5bn for 670 km through challenging British Columbia terrain, represents the high end of conventional gas pipeline costs. Electrically heated crude pipelines like EACOP carry a premium over conventional design. Subsea hydrogen pipelines such as H2Med are estimated at €2.5bn for a 300 km subsea crossing. The proposed Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline at $25bn for 5,660 km across 13 countries illustrates how multi-jurisdiction complexity drives cost beyond simple distance calculations.