HOUSTON — Houston-based energy firm Max Midstream has acquired land and infrastructure in southeast Texas to develop a pipeline that will connect the Port of Calhoun to both the Eagle Ford and Permian Basin areas, a project that is valued at more than $1 billion. The project is also expected to create nearly 500 new direct jobs and another 600 construction-related jobs over the next 10 years. Max Midstream has entered into a public-private partnership with the Port of Calhoun, located roughly midway between the Ports of Galveston and Corpus Christi, in which Max Midstream will invest $360 million in the widening and deepening of the port’s channels. Exports will begin with completion of the first phase in late 2020. The second phase of the project is expected to be complete by 2023.