Permian-to-Corpus crude oil flows fell by 41 Mb/d to 2.41 MMb/d in November (see blue line in the graph below), just 50 Mb/d below September’s record, according to the latest monthly data from the Texas Railroad Commission.
Four pipelines move crude from the Permian Basin to the Corpus Christi area — Plains’ Cactus I (390 Mb/d) and Cactus II (670 Mb/d), Enbridge’s Gray Oak (900 Mb/d) and EPIC Crude (600 Mb/d). In November, all pipelines except EPIC saw their volumes decrease slightly compared to October. Cactus II saw the largest drop, falling by 37 Mb/d, while Cactus I and Gray Oak experienced smaller declines. EPIC volumes increased by 4 Mb/d.
Permian-to-Corpus volumes have remained rangebound for a while, with these pipelines hovering around full utilization when including Eagle Ford receipts. Further growth hinges on Gray Oak’s expansion. The first phase adds 80 Mb/d of contracted capacity this month, followed by an additional 40 Mb/d a year later.
