Louisiana’s refineries process vast amounts of domestic crude oil — much of it from the offshore U.S. Gulf — and imported oil from Canada and other countries. The refineries also play a critically important role in supplying refined product to the Southeastern U.S and the Mid-Atlantic states.
Each of Louisiana’s three refining regions has its own sources for crude oil and its own way of delivering that oil to refineries. Today, we look at crude oil flows and supply/demand balances in the southwestern and northwestern parts of the Bayou State — and how the status quo may be in for changes.
Several projects in the works would expand crude oil pipeline takeaway capacity out of Western Canada. But, given the pace of production growth there, will enough takeaway space come online in time to prevent pipeline capacity shortages and the price dislocations that come with them?
Crude oil sourcing for the three refining regions in Louisiana couldn’t be more different from each other. In today’s RBN blog, we examine crude oil flows into and out of the Bayou State, assess supply/demand balances, and explore why is could be increasingly important to understand those balances.
On July 6 the Premiers of Alberta and Ontario’s provincial governments unveiled a potential route for a new 3,300 km (2,050-mile) crude oil pipeline from Hardisty, AB to Sarnia, ON that would pass through Northern Ontario.
On Thursday July 2 the Government of Canada, along Alberta’s provincial government, announced a proposal for a heavy crude oil pipeline capable of transporting more than 1 MMb/d from Bruderheim, AB (near Edmonton) to a deepwater port at Roberts Bank just south of Vancouver, BC (see map below).
Louisiana refineries don’t pipe in all the crude oil they need from the Houston and Nederland areas or the U.S. Gulf, or ship it in from abroad. Some depend on crude that is piped in from Longview, TX, and others get at least some of their oil from Capline, which moves crude south from Illinois.
According to a Reuters report posted Tuesday, South Bow Corp. and Bridger Pipeline LLC have plans to jointly develop a new crude oil pipeline from Guernsey, WY to Cushing, OK.
The sourcing of crude oil for the 14 refineries in Louisiana has been shifting over the past few years and the pace of that shift is picking up as more U.S. Gulf production flows to Texas (and less flows to the Bayou State), new pipeline projects come online, and refineries modify their crude slates.
South Bow Corp. announced on May 29 a “successful outcome” of the open season held in March that solicited firm transportation commitments for crude oil from Hardisty, AB to U.S. delivery points including Cushing, OK and the Gulf Coast.
