Dallas, TX – Navigator Energy Services announced today a major expansion of its midstream platform, dedicating significant resources to the development of natural gas infrastructure. The move, unveiled February 11, 2026, positions the Dallas-based company to capitalize on growing demand for natural gas driven by power generation, data centers, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
Leading the initiative will be James Yardley, who joins Navigator as Senior Vice President of Business Development, bringing with him over 20 years of experience from TC Energy and other major pipeline operators. The expansion is financially backed by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock, signaling a substantial investment in the sector.
According to Navigator CEO Matt Vining, the expansion is a direct response to a “fundamental shift in North American energy demand growth.” Vining stated, “This is an exciting expansion for the Navigator team, our customers, and our investors. It represents the culmination of a customer-led dialogue to bring Navigator’s capabilities to a dynamic market setup.”
Navigator plans to focus its investment across four key areas. These include supporting the specialized energy needs of the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence and data center sectors, facilitating the modernization of utility infrastructure and coal-to-gas conversions, connecting upstream natural gas supplies to LNG export facilities along the Gulf Coast, and developing customized midstream solutions for individual customers.
Yardley emphasized the strength of current natural gas supply and demand fundamentals, stating, “Natural gas supply and demand fundamentals have never been stronger, and the industry faces an extraordinary investment opportunity to expand and modernise our pipeline grid.” He added that Navigator intends to leverage its cost structure and project execution expertise to provide faster and more affordable transportation capacity for natural gas end-users and producers.
The company highlighted its track record of successfully completing infrastructure projects on time and within budget, a capability it intends to apply to its novel natural gas ventures. Navigator’s previous success in liquids infrastructure is intended to provide a foundation for this expansion.
The initiative comes as the global market witnesses a long-term trend of utilities and industrial consumers increasingly relying on natural gas as a base-load feedstock, supported by growing pipeline infrastructure and LNG export capacity. The surge in AI workloads and cloud computing is also contributing to increased electricity demand, further fueling the need for natural gas-powered generation.