I work out of Midland, TX and I’ve spent more than a decade selling chemicals to operators and oilfield service companies across the Permian Basin. Every winter I get the same phone call right around the day the forecast turns, when every buyer in the basin wants the same product on the same truck that same week. The buyers who don’t have to make that call are the ones who planned in the fall.
Before the first freeze, oil and gas buyers in Texas and along the Gulf Coast should lock in three things:
- Enough freeze-critical chemicals on hand
- Delivery windows scheduled before the cold arrives
- A backup supply route if primary product gets tight
Do these in advance and a cold snap stays an inconvenience instead of a shutdown.
Why winter weather hits chemical supply so hard in Texas
Winter hits the Permian and the Gulf Coast differently, but both regions have learned the hard way that a few days of hard freeze can ripple through supply for weeks.
In the Permian, freezes aren’t rare, and some field infrastructure still isn’t built for them. The U.S. Energy Information Administration found that three recent storms all hit the Permian hard: Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 cut the region’s natural gas production by almost 5 Bcf/d, and Winter Storms Elliott (December 2022) and Heather (January 2024) cut it by about 3 Bcf/d each. EIA also noted that some Permian gas infrastructure isn’t weatherized and sits fully exposed to cold and moisture.
On the Gulf Coast, hard freezes come less often, which is exactly why they catch people off guard. During Uri, analysts at IHS Markit estimated that more than 5.2 million barrels per day of Gulf Coast refining capacity was affected, and export terminals from the Houston Ship Channel to Lake Charles were disrupted along with rail and pipeline infrastructure. When the plants that make your chemicals go down and the trucks and railcars that move them stall, it doesn’t matter how warm your own site stays.
| Permian / West Texas | Gulf Coast | |
|---|---|---|
| How often it freezes | Most winters | Less often, but hard when it does |
| Main risk to your operation | Freeze-offs, hydrates, and frozen lines at the wellhead and in the field | Plant and refinery shutdowns upstream of you |
| How supply gets squeezed | Demand for freeze-protection chemicals spikes basin-wide at once | Production and freight disruptions tighten availability for weeks |
| What to plan for | Inventory on site before the cold arrives | Backup sources and delivery windows booked early |
Which chemicals should oil and gas buyers stock up on before winter?
For most oil and gas operations, methanol and triethylene glycol (TEG) are the two products you can’t afford to run short on in a freeze. Monoethanolamine (MEA) belongs on the list too, for a different reason: the product itself is sensitive to cold.
| Product | Its winter job | Cold-weather watch-out |
|---|---|---|
| Methanol | Injected at wellheads and in gathering lines to keep hydrates and ice from forming and blocking flow | Everyone needs more of it the same week. Have volume on site before the forecast turns, not after. |
| Triethylene glycol (TEG) | Pulls water out of natural gas in dehydration units, so there’s less water left to freeze or form hydrates downstream | TEG thickens in the cold, and losses can climb when units work harder. Top off makeup inventory before winter. |
| Monoethanolamine (MEA) | Used in amine treating to strip H2S and CO2 from gas streams | Pure MEA freezes at roughly 50°F, so it can solidify in unheated tanks and lines on an ordinary West Texas winter day. Confirm your storage is heated before you take delivery. |
Your list may look different depending on your operation. Water handling, cleaning, and maintenance programs all have their own winter needs, so walk your site with your account manager and build the list together.
A winter chemical supply checklist
Start this checklist now. The first freeze typically arrives in November in the Permian and often not until December or later along the upper Gulf Coast, so West Texas buyers have the shorter runway.
- Pull last winter’s usage. Look at what you actually burned through during your coldest week, not your monthly average. That peak week is the number to plan around.
- Check your storage. Know how much tank capacity you have for each product, and whether anything that freezes, like MEA, is in heated storage.
- Raise your reorder points for the season. Lead times stretch when weather hits, so the inventory level that triggers a reorder should go up between November and March.
- Book deliveries ahead of the cold. Get product on site before a forecast turns. Once ice is on the roads, trucks slow down and everyone else is calling too.
- Confirm specs and paperwork now. Settle grades, approvals, and SDS documents with your supplier in the fall, so nothing holds up an emergency order.
- Line up a backup source. Know where product will come from if your primary supply gets tight. Have that conversation before you need it.
- Know who to call. Have a name and a direct number for someone who will pick up during a storm, not a general sales inbox.
Why your distributor’s supply sources matter in a freeze
The best winter insurance is a distributor with more than one way to get you product. When a freeze knocks plants offline, a distributor that only buys from one or two producers is stuck waiting in the same line you are.
At Meadows Chemical, we source prime supply from more than 30 manufacturer partners, and we’ve spent over 25 years building a Beneficial Reuse catalog. That second channel is a secondary product pulled from surplus and byproduct streams. Where your specs allow, it gives us another route to product when prime supply gets tight. We stock product at multiple locations, and every account has a dedicated point of contact who knows your operation.
That’s the short version of why I tell my customers to ask any distributor one question before winter: where does my product come from if your main source goes down? If they don’t have a clear answer, our guide on how to evaluate a chemical distributor covers what else to ask.
FAQs
When should oil and gas companies order winter chemicals?
Order in October and early November, before the first freeze. In the Permian that’s often mid-November, so West Texas buyers should move first. Ordering after a forecast turns means competing with every other buyer for the same trucks.
What chemicals prevent freeze-offs and hydrates in oil and gas operations?
Methanol is the most common chemical used to prevent hydrates and freeze-offs at the wellhead and in gathering lines. Glycols, including TEG, are used to dehydrate gas so there’s less water left to freeze.
What’s the difference between methanol and TEG in winter?
Methanol is injected directly into the gas stream to stop hydrates from forming. TEG removes water from the gas in a dehydration unit. Many operations use both.
Does MEA freeze?
Yes. Pure monoethanolamine solidifies at roughly 50°F, which can occur in unheated storage during a normal Texas winter. Plan for heated tanks or ask your supplier about handling options.
Where can I buy methanol in bulk in Texas?
Meadows Chemical is a Houston-based distributor that supplies bulk methanol to oil and gas customers across Texas and the Gulf Coast. Contact our team to build a winter supply plan.
Build your winter plan before the forecast turns
The cheapest freeze is the one you planned for. Call your Meadows Chemical account manager now to walk through last winter’s usage, set delivery windows, and line up backup supply before the first cold front shows up. Not a customer yet? Reach out to our team and we’ll connect you with someone who knows your region.
About the Author
Troy North, Account Manager
Troy North is an Account Manager at Meadows Chemical, based in Midland, Texas. He has spent more than a decade selling chemicals to oil and gas operators and oilfield service companies across the Permian Basin, and he has 30 years of sales and business development experience overall.
