Enbridge accepts all pipeline nominations in March

Enbridge accepts all pipeline nominations in March

Calgary, 15 February (Argus) — Enbridge's 3mn b/d Mainline crude export system will accept all pipeline nominations for March flow, a rare occurrence and an indication the volumes are no longer being stranded in Alberta.

This is the first time since June 2020 that Enbridge has not rejected any nominations on what is the largest crude export system coming out of Canada. Pipeline congestion became a permanent fixture in the Canadian market starting in 2014, so this latest announcement is just the tenth time apportionment was not required over that eight-year span.

The frequent need to reject nominations came as pipeline companies, including Enbridge, TC Energy and Kinder Morgan, saw project proposals get tied up in regulatory red tape. Enbridge still added 1.1mn b/d upstream of Superior, Wisconsin, between 2013 and 2017, but that barely kept pace with growing crude production in oil-rich Alberta.