Did you know that, wherever you’re reading this post, there’s quite likely to be an oil and gas pipeline buried deep beneath your feet? They work silently and safely around the clock to help deliver the oil and natural gas products that fuel our everyday lives.
Canada has a huge network of such pipelines. Each is designed and constructed specifically for the product it will carry – for instance crude oil, natural gas or liquid natural gas. But they can also be categorized further, depending on their place in the supply chain.
Four types of oil and gas pipeline
From the moment oil or natural gas are removed from the ground pipelines are used to transport them. There are four main types of pipeline used in the process of delivering oil and gas products from the point of extraction to the end user:
- Gathering Pipelines are used within oil and gas facilities to move unrefined product from wells to processing, refining or storage areas. These pipelines are owned and operated by the oil and gas exploration companies.
- Feeder Pipelines are also used primarily within oil and gas facilities. They transport oil and natural gas from processing, refining or storage facilities to the transmission lines. Like gathering lines, these are owned and operated by the oil and gas exploration companies.
- Transmission Pipelines are the larger diameter pipelines that are used to transport oil and natural gas larger distances; across provinces or across provincial/international borders. Transmission pipelines operate at high pressure, using compressor stations to keep the product moving. These lines are owned and operated by specialist transmission pipeline companies.
- Distribution Pipelines are smaller pipelines used to deliver energy products to the end user. For instance, they are the lines used to bring natural gas into homes and businesses for heating, cooking and other uses. Distribution lines are owned and operated by utility companies.
Without any of these types of pipeline, oil and natural gas products would have to be transported by alternative methods such as rail or road. Both these transportation methods emit higher levels of greenhouse gases than pipelines.
This was a post in our Pipeline 101 series in which we explain Canada’s pipeline industry and how they are working to safely and sustainably to deliver the energy on which Canadians rely. Stay tuned for more in this series.
FAQs
Western Canada's four major crude oil export pipelines are the Enbridge Canadian Mainline, the Keystone Pipeline, the Trans Mountain Pipeline, and the Express Pipeline.
What are the different types of pipelines? ›
The three main types of pipelines in the oil and gas industry are gathering lines, transmission lines, and distribution lines. Gathering lines are usually short pipelines that move oil or gas from individual wellheads to a central collection point where the fluid is then sent to processing facilities.
What is the standard for pipelines in Canada? ›
The CSA Standard Z662 — Oil and Gas Pipeline Systems sets out the technical standards for the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of Canada's oil and gas pipelines.
What are the pipeline projects in Canada in 2024? ›
2024 Eagle Mountain Pipeline 47 km 24" Coquitlam, BC Woodfibre, BC FortisBC 2024 Gazoduq Pipeline 750 km 42" North Eastern, ON Saguenay, QC Gazoduq 2024 Coastal GasLink 670 km 48" Dawson Creek, BC Kitimat, BC TC Energy 2025 West Coast Connector 850 km 48" Cypress, BC Prince Rupert, BC Enbridge Inc.
What is the issue with pipelines in Canada? ›
Explain the controversy to students. The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline, because of the oil tanker routes, was widely opposed by environmental groups and First Nations (the Indigenous peoples of Canada who are not Inuit or Metis), as it posed health risks to indigenous communities and threatened local ecosystems.
Is the Keystone pipeline a Canadian pipeline? ›
The Canadian portion of the Keystone pipeline runs from Hardisty, Alberta east across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, before turning south and crossing the Canada-U.S. border near Haskett, Manitoba into North Dakota. In the U.S., the pipeline continues south to Nederland, Texas.
What are the four major commodities transported by pipelines? ›
Industries in the Pipeline Transportation subsector use transmission pipelines to transport products, such as crude oil, natural gas, refined petroleum products, and slurry.
What are the three basic types of pipeline systems? ›
There are essentially three major types of pipelines along the petroleum transportation route: gathering systems, crude oil pipeline systems, and refined products pipeline systems. Gathering pipeline systems gather crude oil from production wells.
What are the different types of pipelining? ›
Types of Pipeline in Computer Architecture
The pipeline is divided into 2 categories: Arithmetic Pipeline. Instruction Pipeline.
What is the pipeline strategy in Canada? ›
Pipeline Tax Strategy for Business Owners | Withdrawing Capital Gains. A pipeline is a tax strategy that allows you to extract money through a capital gain rather than a dividend, ultimately saving you between 10-18% in tax depending on your tax rates.
Pipelines that cross provincial boundaries or the Canada-U.S. border are regulated federally by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). The CER is responsible for 73,000 km of pipeline, or roughly 10 per cent of the Canadian total.
What is the largest pipeline company in Canada? ›
Reacting to the trend, many of the large pipeline firms have begun to create clean energy portfolios. These include Canada's biggest pipeline company, Enbridge Inc.
How many pipelines are in Canada? ›
There are 70 operating oil and gas pipelines regulated by the CER that cross the Canada-US border: 31 oil and 39 natural gas. There are 16 operating pipelines which transport other commodities. There are also about 10-15 additional pipelines at other stages (e.g., deactivated, decommissioned, built, but not operating).
What pipeline did Canada buy? ›
Trudeau's government had actually purchased the Trans Mountain pipeline six months earlier, with the stated purpose of ensuring its expansion could be completed.
What was the purpose of the Keystone pipeline? ›
The Keystone Pipeline System plays a key role in delivering Canadian and US crude oil supplies to markets around North America. It stretches 4,324 km (2,687 miles) from Alberta to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and the US Gulf Coast.
How many pipelines cross the Canada-US border? ›
There are 70 operating oil and gas pipelines regulated by the CER that cross the Canada-US border: 31 oil and 39 natural gas.
Who owns the Keystone pipeline? ›
Ownership. The company, which changed its name from TransCanada Corporation to TC Energy Corporation on May 3, 2020, to "better reflect the scope of our operations as a leading North American energy infrastructure company", is the sole owner of the Keystone Pipeline System.
Who owns the most pipelines in Canada? ›
Many of the large CER-regulated pipeline companies are owned by two publicly traded companies, Enbridge Inc. (Enbridge) and TC Energy Corporation (TC Energy). Enbridge is the ultimate parent company of these CER-regulated pipelines: Enbridge Pipelines Inc., Enbridge Pipelines (NW) Inc., Enbridge Southern Lights GP Inc.
