Trans Mountain poised for expansions as pipeline fills up

Trans Mountain said in recent months, the Alberta-to-British-Columbia pipeline that can transport 890,000 barrels a day has regularly been at 90 per cent utilization or higher.

The chief executive of Crown-owned pipeline operator Trans Mountain Corp. says the Alberta-to-British-Columbia conduit has been running at almost full capacity lately, and expansions it and fellow operator Enbridge Inc. are pursuing should provide relief when it’s needed.

Trans Mountain said in its third-quarter financial report Thursday that the pipeline averaged 87 per cent utilization during the three months ended Sept. 30, with record throughput of 777,000 barrels per day.

But in the months since, it’s been at 90 per cent or higher, CEO Mark Maki said in an interview Friday.

“Seasonally, to be around 90 to 95 per cent full is not a bad place to be. But that is indicating things are getting a little snug,” he said.

The pipeline has a total capacity of 890,000 barrels a day.

Maki said he expects volumes to dip in the second and third quarter of next year, as oilsands plants undergo seasonal maintenance and they have fewer barrels to send through the pipe.

“But by the time you get to ’27, we’re probably consistently full all the time and so you need something in that window,” he said.

Trans Mountain aims to boost capacity on the pipeline, which runs from Edmonton to a marine terminal in Burnaby, B.C., by up to 360,000 barrels per day over five years.