Natural gas – pipeline flow and capacity

This report shows the utilization^Definition* of major CER-regulated natural gas pipelines. Visitors can compare throughput^Definition* and capacity^Definition* data between individual pipelines and key points.^Definition*

This dataset is available on Open Government and contains daily data for natural gas pipelines, as submitted to the CER by pipeline companies. It is the CER’s most frequently downloaded dataset.

See the Pipeline Profiles for more detailed information about each pipeline.

Throughput and capacity on major CER-regulated

Data Source and Description

Data Source: The dataset for this dashboard is available on Open Government; Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.35002/h579-7v23

Throughput and capacity data for Group 1 companies^Definition* is collected quarterly by the CER under the CER Filing Manual Guide BB.2 Traffic Data. Companies are required to file pipeline traffic data for the first three quarters of each year no later than 45 days after the quarter. For the year-end report, companies are required to file the data no later than 60 days after the quarter. Gas pipelines must report the daily volume of gas flowed in cubic metres and gigajoules for key points on the pipeline system. Companies must also report the capacity of the system at each key point.

The goal of Guide BB is to collect information which enables the CER to monitor a pipeline’s financial performance and the basis for calculating tolls^Definition*, and to monitor the results for each company over time. Interested parties, such as shippers, may also monitor these reports as they are publicly available on the CER’s website. In addition, the dataset is valuable for monitoring demand for pipeline transportation capacity as well as changes to Canada’s energy systems (i.e., supply and demand of natural gas, crude oil, and other hydrocarbons).

Data for Group 2 companies^Definition* is collected by the CER as part of other regulatory compliance processes.^Footnote 1

See the list of pipeline companies regulated by the CER.

Description: This dashboard shows the throughput and capacity of major CER-regulated natural gas pipelines. It shows the entire dataset, allowing visitors to explore a complete view of the data. See the “Pipeline capacity” description box below for more details on capacity.

Dashboard instructions

Dashboard instructions:

Hover over the graph to see additional details on each data point and a link to the Pipeline Profiles.
The data can be filtered by pipeline and key point using the selection buttons on the left-hand side.
The unit of measurement can be toggled between the imperial system (billion cubic feet per day) or metric system (million cubic metres per day).
Trade type for each key point can be import, export, or intra-Canada (domestic deliveries).
The data can be viewed as daily or monthly averages.

Natural gas pipelines leaving western Canada

Data Source and Description

Data Source: The dataset for this dashboard is available on Open Government; Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.35002/h579-7v23

Data for Group 2 companies^Definition* is collected by the CER as part of other regulatory compliance processes.^Footnote 2

See the list of pipeline companies regulated by the CER.

Description: This dashboard shows the volumes of gas leaving the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) by pipeline to domestic and export markets, along with pipeline capacity. See the “Pipeline capacity” description box below for more details on capacity.

The graph on the top shows the throughput and capacity of four key points^Definition* (Huntingdon/FortisBC Lower Mainland on the Westcoast pipeline, West Gate and East Gate on the NGTL system, and Border key point on the Alliance pipeline). The graph on the bottom shows the total throughput and capacity of those four key points.

What you should know

What you should know:

Westcoast (Huntingdon/FortisBC Lower Mainland), NGTL (West Gate, East Gate), and Alliance (Border) are the four key points through which all gas leaving the WCSB must flow. The capacity at these four points indicates the amount of natural gas that can be transported out of the WCSB on a daily basis.
The dashboard shows that the key points on pipelines exiting the WCSB are largely full at this time and, therefore, available pipeline export capacity from the WCSB is limited.
New pipeline capacity from the WCSB is being added by CER-regulated companies (see the facilities section of the Westcoast and NGTL Pipeline Profiles for more information on expansion projects). When new capacity is placed into service (everything else being equal), the capacity line on the dashboard will increase.

Dashboard instructions

Dashboard instructions:

Hover over the graph to see additional details on each data point and a link to the Pipeline Profiles.
The unit of measurement can be toggled between the imperial system (billion cubic feet per day) or metric system (million cubic metres per day).
The data can be viewed as daily or monthly averages.

Ontario pipeline import and export flow changes

Data Source and Description

Data Source: The dataset for this dashboard is available on Open Government; Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.35002/h579-7v23

Data for Group 2 companies^Definition* is collected by the CER as part of other regulatory compliance processes.^Footnote 3

See the list of pipeline companies regulated by the CER.

Description: This dashboard shows the throughput and capacity of three key points^Definition* in Ontario (Chippawa, Niagara, and Iroquois) on the TC Canadian Mainline. The top half of the figure shows export flows and the bottom half shows import flows. See the “Pipeline capacity” description box below for more details on capacity.

What you should know

What you should know:

Pipelines respond to changing supply and demand patterns. Compressor stations^Definition* along a pipeline can be modified to flow natural gas in the opposite direction.
Historically, most of the natural gas consumed in Ontario and Quebec was produced in western Canada and transported on the TC Canadian Mainline.
Starting in the late 2000s, growing production from the Appalachian Basin began to impact Canadian market dynamics.^Footnote 4 U.S. natural gas production increased, and some export points on the TC Canadian Mainline in Ontario were reversed to import natural gas from the U.S.
The TC Canadian Mainline’s Niagara point has imported natural gas since 2012, and its Chippawa point has imported natural gas since 2015. Both points were former export points that were reversed so natural gas could flow into Ontario from the Marcellus and Utica shales of the Appalachian Basin.
In 2017, the Iroquois key point on the TC Canadian Mainline was modified so gas could flow bi-directionally. While Iroquois continues to primarily export gas, it has periodically imported gas from 2018 onward.

Dashboard instructions

Dashboard instructions:

Hover over the graph to see additional details on each data point and a link to the Pipeline Profiles.
The unit of measurement can be toggled between the imperial system (billion cubic feet per day) or metric system (million cubic metres per day).
The data can be viewed as daily or monthly averages.

Pipeline capacity

The term “capacity” refers to the maximum amount of product that can flow through a pipeline. A pipeline’s capacity can be estimated in different ways, based on assumptions about the pipeline’s operating conditions and the time period being considered. Two common calculations are nameplate capacity and available capacity.

Nameplate capacity is the design capacity of the pipeline based on assumed operating conditions. Available capacity, on the other hand, refers to the actual amount of product that can flow through a pipeline at any given time, based on the operating conditions present at that time. The available capacity of a pipeline usually differs from its nameplate capacity and may vary on a monthly basis. This difference may be due to the direction of flow, outside temperature, product temperature, pipeline compression or available pumping capacity, duration of flow, season, the types of products being transported, unplanned outages, downstream constraints, and maintenance work or other pressure restrictions, among other factors.

In general, the capacity numbers reported in these dashboards reflect either a pipeline’s nameplate capacity or the available capacity that the operator was expecting at the beginning of the reporting period. Actual available capacity may have been higher or lower than these estimates due to many of the same factors listed above. When the actual available capacity was higher than the operator’s estimate, throughputs may exceed the capacity numbers in the graphs. When the actual available capacity was lower than the operator’s estimate, throughputs may fall considerably below the capacity numbers. This means that the utilization rates in the graphs should not necessarily be used to draw conclusions regarding potential spare capacity. For clarity, throughput will always be less than or equal to the capacity chosen by pipeline operators.

Footnotes

Footnote 1

Emera Brunswick Pipeline Company Ltd. files throughput data for the Emera Brunswick Pipeline, which is available in the Commodities Tracking System. Campus Energy Partners Operations Inc. files throughput data for the Suffield pipeline as per condition compliance from TG-003-2021 [Filing C12297].

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Footnote 2

See the Natural Gas Pipeline Transportation System section of the CER’s Canada’s Pipeline System 2021: Economics of CER-Regulated Infrastructure.

Return to footnote 2 referrer

Footnote 3

Return to footnote 3 referrer

Footnote 4

Return to footnote 4 referrer

Contact Us

Please send comments or questions to Pipeline.Info@cer-rec.gc.ca.

Definition 1: System throughput divided by pipeline design capacity.
Definition 2: The amount of product moved through a pipeline.
Definition 3: The maximum amount of product that a pipeline can safely transport at any given time.
Definition 4: An important point along a CER-regulated pipeline system for which a company reports the throughput and capacity data that appears in the Pipeline Throughput and Capacity Data dataset. A key point can include either a major pipeline receipt or delivery point, a major point of interconnection with another pipeline, or a border point along the Canada/U.S. border.
Definition 5: In general, Group 1 companies regulated by the CER are those with more extensive systems and as such are subject to a greater degree of regulatory oversight than Group 2 companies.
Definition 6: The price charged by a pipeline company for transportation and other services.
Definition 7: Group 2 companies regulated by the CER tend to be smaller, have fewer shippers and are subject to a lighter degree of regulatory oversight since they are regulated on a complaint basis.
Definition 8: In general, Group 1 companies regulated by the CER are those with more extensive systems and as such are subject to a greater degree of regulatory oversight than Group 2 companies.
Definition 9: The price charged by a pipeline company for transportation and other services.
Definition 10: Group 2 companies regulated by the CER tend to be smaller, have fewer shippers and are subject to a lighter degree of regulatory oversight since they are regulated on a complaint basis.
Definition 11: An important point along a CER-regulated pipeline system for which a company reports the throughput and capacity data that appears in the Pipeline Throughput and Capacity Data dataset. A key point can include either a major pipeline receipt or delivery point, a major point of interconnection with another pipeline, or a border point along the Canada/U.S. border.
Definition 12: In general, Group 1 companies regulated by the CER are those with more extensive systems and as such are subject to a greater degree of regulatory oversight than Group 2 companies.
Definition 13: The price charged by a pipeline company for transportation and other services.
Definition 14: Group 2 companies regulated by the CER tend to be smaller, have fewer shippers and are subject to a lighter degree of regulatory oversight since they are regulated on a complaint basis.
Definition 15: An important point along a CER-regulated pipeline system for which a company reports the throughput and capacity data that appears in the Pipeline Throughput and Capacity Data dataset. A key point can include either a major pipeline receipt or delivery point, a major point of interconnection with another pipeline, or a border point along the Canada/U.S. border.
Definition 16: Facilities that are used to move natural gas through pipelines or into storage by increasing the pressure of the gas through compression. Compressor stations are usually powered by natural gas drawn from the pipeline.

Date modified:: 2023-11-26

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Natural gas – pipeline flow and capacity

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