Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) pays its investors well. The pipeline company should have plenty of fuel to keep growing its dividends in the coming years. One factor powering that view is its ability to secure needle-moving expansion projects.

Kinder Morgan said on Thursday its unit Tennessee Gas Pipeline will proceed with the nearly $1.4 billion Mississippi Crossing Project (MSX Project), strengthening the pipeline operator's position in the Southeast U.

Kinder Morgan's growing earnings will enable it to continue increasing its dividend. The company plans to declare $1.17 per share in dividends next year ($0.2925 per quarter). That's up from $1.15 per share in dividends ($0.2875 per quarter) in 2024 (a 1.7% increase). That would mark its eighth straight year of increasing its dividend.

KMI moves forward with its $1.4B Mississippi Crossing Project, aiming to add 1.5 Bcf/d gas capacity across 206 miles of pipeline in the Southeast U.S. by November 2028.