Market Snapshot: Record high annual oil pipeline throughputs again in 2023

Release date: 2024-07-10

Utilization rates on Canada’s three largest crude oil^Definition* pipelines—Enbridge Mainline, Keystone, and Trans Mountain^Footnote 1—remained consistently high throughout 2023, with Keystone and Trans Mountain operating at or near maximum available capacity^Definition*. Total oil pipeline throughputs^Definition* reached record levels for a third consecutive year, due to growth in oil sands production. Notably, annual oil production also reached record highs in 2023, marking a third consecutive year of growth.^Footnote 2

Enbridge Mainline achieved record throughput levels in 2023

Enbridge Mainline had an annual average throughput of 3.08 million barrels per day (MMb/d) at its ex-Gretna^Footnote 3 key point^Definition* in 2023, a 4.1% increase from the previous year. Throughput in 2023 declined to 2.93 MMb/d in April, and then trended upward to a record high of 3.27 MMb/d in December, surpassing the previous record of 3.17 MMb/d set in December 2022.

Available capacity remained relatively stable on the Enbridge Mainline throughout 2023, ranging from a low of 3.18 MMb/d in August and September 2023 to a high of 3.31 MMb/d in February 2023. In 2023, the average monthly utilization rate^Definition* was 95%.

Figure 1: Monthly throughput and available capacity on Enbridge Mainline (ex-Gretna)

Keystone's throughputs rebounded in 2023

The Keystone Pipeline maintained an annual average throughput of 596 thousand barrels per day (Mb/d) in 2023, a 2.4% increase from the previous year. In December 2022, throughput temporarily dropped to a monthly average of 338 Mb/d following an oil release incident in Washington County, Kansas^Footnote 4. Throughput steadily increased throughout 2023, reaching 622 Mb/d in December, which was below the record monthly average throughout achieved in September 2022 of 643 Mb/d. The monthly average utilization rate on the Keystone Pipeline remained at 100% throughout the last three quarters of 2023.

Over the course of the year, uncommitted volumes continued to increase steadily and reached 5.9% of total throughputs by December 2023^{Footnote 5Footnote 6}.

Figure 2: Monthly throughput and available capacity on Keystone Pipeline

Trans Mountain Pipeline throughputs reach a record high in 2023

The Trans Mountain Pipeline continued to flow at full capacity throughout 2023, transporting an annual average of 346 Mb/d, reflecting a 7.3% increase over the previous annual average of 322 Mb/d in 2022. This increase was due to transporting a record high amount of light oil that reached an annual average of 288 Mb/d, or approximately 83% of total throughputs.^Footnote 7 A new record for monthly average throughput was reached in July 2023 of 371 Mb/d, surpassing the previous monthly average record of 365 Mb/d set in July 2022.

The monthly average utilization rate for 2023 was 99%, consistent with 2022. The Trans Mountain Pipeline had an average available capacity throughout 2023 of 350 Mb/d. The recently opened Trans Mountain Expansion Project brings the total system capacity up to 890 Mb/d.

Figure 3: Monthly throughput and available capacity on Trans Mountain Pipeline

Every quarter, major companies are required to report monthly pipeline throughput and available capacity data to CER.^Footnote 8 This data is available quarterly on Open Government, Pipeline Profiles, and A look at pipeline flow and capacity.

Date modified:

2024-07-10