The Gulf Coast Pipeline Project is an approximate 485-mile (780-kilometre), 36-inch crude oil pipeline beginning in Cushing, Okla., and extending south to Nederland, Texas, to serve the Gulf Coast marketplace. The 48-mile (77-kilometre), Houston Lateral Project is an additional project under development to transport oil to refineries in the Houston area.
Both the Gulf Coast Pipeline Project and Houston Lateral Project are critical infrastructure projects for the energy security of the United States and the American economy. U.S. crude oil production has been growing significantly in Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota and Montana. Producers do not have access to enough pipeline capacity to move this production to the large refining market along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Both projects will address this constraint.
Construction of the Gulf Coast Pipeline began in August 2012 with an anticipated in service date of late 2013. The Gulf Coast Pipeline will have the initial capacity to transport 700,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) with the potential to transport 830,000 bbl/d to Gulf Coast refineries.
The 48-mile (77-kilometre), Houston Lateral Project is an additional project under development to transport oil to refineries in the Houston, Texas, marketplace. Both the Houston Lateral Project and the Gulf Coast Pipeline Project will become an integrated component of the Keystone Pipeline System.
The facilities will double the U.S. Gulf Coast refining market capacity directly accessible from the Keystone Pipeline System to over four million barrels per day by providing access to the key refining market in the Houston area. Associated facilities include the necessary receipt, delivery, pipeline, pumping, monitoring, control and ancillary facilities required to increase capacity.
The final route of the Houston Lateral, which involves building a pipeline through the counties of Liberty, Chambers and Harris to Houston’s refining centre, has been selected to minimize impacts to the land, environment and landowners.
TransCanada has selected Price Gregory International, a Quanta Services company, to construct and install the Houston Lateral Pipeline.
Learn more: Read the news release.
Route selection involved balancing different factors such as length; sensitive environmental features (rivers, wetlands, endangered and protected species), construction issues, paralleling existing infrastructure such as roads and other pipelines and considering stakeholder concerns.
Current plans are for construction activities to begin in the fourth quarter of 2013 and commercial operation of the Houston Lateral to commence in the fourth quarter of 2014.
The Gulf Coast Pipeline Project is an approximate 485-mile (780-kilometre), 36-inch crude oil pipeline beginning in Cushing, Okla., and extending south to Nederland, Texas, to serve the Gulf Coast marketplace. The 48-mile (77-kilometre) Houston Lateral Project is an additional project under development to transport oil to refineries in the Houston area.
Construction on the Gulf Coast Pipeline commenced August, 2012, with an anticipated in-service date of late 2013. The Gulf Coast Project will have the initial capacity to transport 700,000 barrels of oil per day and can be expanded to transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day to Gulf Coast refineries.
Shipper Application and Accounting
Visit the Keystone Shipper Information page on TransCanada.com