MEG Energy

Merger activity this year has been frequent in Canada’s oil and gas sector as companies strive for scale and efficiencies in an increasingly competitive landscape. The latest M&A salvo arrived in late August when MEG Energy agreed to a takeover offer from Cenovus Energy to create the largest bitumen producer in Alberta’s oil sands. With billions of barrels of reserves up for development, it is a chance for Cenovus to further consolidate and expand its existing lead in bitumen output from the oil sands. However, what might seem a straightforward corporate merger has been buffeted by a rival bid from Strathcona Resources in its attempt to create scale and ensure its own long-term competitiveness. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll examine the details of the two offers and what is at stake for all involved. 

Between them the TransCanada Grand Rapids, Enbridge Norlite and Devon/MEG Access pipelines currently being planned and built out will be able to deliver an extra 1 MMb/d of diluent to oil sands producers by 2017. That’s more than producers currently expect to need until 2030. The diluent will be shipped north from Edmonton terminals to production plants and blended with bitumen before making the return trip as dilbit or railbit destined for long-haul transport by pipe or rail to U.S. and Canadian markets. Today we describe the pipeline build out plans.

Expanding Western Canadian Oil Sands production is currently butting up against pipeline constraints to move the crude to markets in the US and beyond. The result is painful price discounts for producers and an increased inventory of crude in storage at the Edmonton and Hardisty hubs in Alberta. New storage capacity is being added in both hubs to handle the growing volume. Today we detail TransCanada and MEG Energy expansion plans in Edmonton.