An actual pipeline; we can do this...
Pipelines, Western Canada. I gather there is now one pipeline, and one projected new pipeline through which Canada can sell oil to Asia. What does each carry?
Short answer:
Western Canada currently has one major pipeline to tidewater that can ship oil to Asia: the Trans Mountain system (TM + TMX).
Both the existing line and the new expansion line (TMX) carry crude oil — specifically heavy crude (WCS), diluted bitumen (dilbit), synthetic crude, and some refined petroleum products (RPPs). No natural gas pipelines to the Pacific coast for export to Asia have been completed.
Below is the detailed breakdown, based strictly on the most recent authoritative sources.
🇨🇦 1. The existing Trans Mountain Pipeline (TM)
What it carries:
Crude oil (heavy and light)
Diluted bitumen (dilbit)
Synthetic crude
Refined petroleum products (RPPs) such as gasoline and diesel
Role:
Ships crude from Edmonton to Burnaby (for local refining), to Washington State, and to the Westridge Marine Terminal for export.
Before expansion, capacity was ~300 kb/d.
🇨🇦 2. The Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) — the “new pipeline”
What it carries:
Crude oil (primarily heavy crude and dilbit)
Refined petroleum products (RPPs)
Status:
Entered commercial operation May 2024.
Nearly tripled the system’s capacity to 890 kb/d.
Why it matters for Asia:
Provides direct tidewater access at Westridge Marine Terminal.
Since TMX opened, exports to Asia (especially China) have surged, with China becoming the top Asian buyer.
Canada exported nearly 400 kb/d to non‑U.S. markets in early 2025, up from ~80 kb/d the year before.
❗ Pipelines that do not exist (but people often think they do)
To clarify the landscape:
Not built / cancelled:
Northern Gateway (Enbridge) — cancelled
Energy East (TransCanada) — cancelled
Eagle Spirit — never approved
Pacific Oil pipelines via Kitimat/Prince Rupert — none built
LNG pipelines (natural gas):
Coastal GasLink (to LNG Canada in Kitimat) is built, but it carries natural gas, not oil, and LNG Canada is not yet exporting.
It does not move crude oil and is not an oil export route to Asia.
Thus, for oil exports to Asia, Canada has only one functioning route: the Trans Mountain system (TM + TMX).
🧭 Summary Table
If you want, I can also map out what grades of crude (WCS vs synthetic vs light sweet) are actually being shipped to Asia since TMX opened, or explain why Asian refiners like Canadian heavy crude.
What will the pipeline approved last Friday carry?
The pipeline that was approved last Friday is Enbridge’s Sunrise Expansion Project, and it will carry natural gas.
✔ What it carries
According to CBC’s reporting, the Sunrise project is a natural gas pipeline expansion that will add 300 million cubic feet per day of gas transportation capacity to the existing Westcoast system.
✔ Key details
It is not an oil pipeline.
It involves 140 km of new pipeline loops alongside the existing Westcoast natural gas line.
The gas is not destined for a specific customer, but some of the added capacity is expected to go offshore, meaning it could support LNG exports to Asia once LNG terminals are operating.
If you want, I can also compare this natural‑gas project with the proposed new oil pipeline Alberta and Ottawa agreed to fast‑track (which is a separate project).
Please, tell me about the latter...
Absolutely, Louise — here is the “latter” project you were asking about, explained cleanly and without noise.
You were referring to the oil‑pipeline project that Alberta and Ottawa agreed to fast‑track, which is separate from the natural‑gas Sunrise expansion approved last Friday.
Let’s walk through it clearly.
🌑 The “latter” project: a new oil pipeline being fast‑tracked
This refers to the Alberta–Ottawa agreement announced in early May 2024 to accelerate approval of a new oil pipeline intended to increase export capacity beyond the Trans Mountain system.
✔ What it will carry
Crude oil, specifically:
Heavy crude (WCS)
Diluted bitumen (dilbit)
Synthetic crude
This is the same family of products that TMX carries — because the goal is to increase heavy‑oil export capacity.
✔ Why it matters
TMX is already near full commercial commitment.
Alberta wants another outlet to avoid being dependent on a single corridor.
Asian refiners (China, India, South Korea) are showing strong demand for Canadian heavy crude because it substitutes for Venezuelan and Mexican grades.
✔ What the agreement actually does
It does not approve a specific pipeline route yet.
Instead, it creates a fast‑track regulatory process for:
A new oil pipeline to tidewater, or
A major expansion of an existing corridor,
With federal–provincial coordination to avoid the decade‑long delays that plagued TMX.
Think of it as: “We agree to build another oil export pipeline, and we agree not to fight about it for 12 years this time.”
✔ What it is not
Not the Sunrise natural‑gas expansion (that’s gas, not oil).
Not Coastal GasLink (gas only).
Not Northern Gateway (cancelled).
Not Energy East (cancelled).
This is a new, not‑yet‑named oil‑pipeline initiative whose purpose is to increase crude‑oil export capacity to global markets, especially Asia.
🧭 Why heavy crude is the focus
Asian refiners — especially in China and India — have complex refineries designed for heavy sour crude.
Canadian WCS is:
chemically similar to Venezuelan and Mexican heavy grades
reliably supplied
politically stable
discounted relative to global benchmarks
This makes it extremely attractive.
🌏 So in one sentence
The “latter” project is a new, fast‑tracked pipeline initiative that will carry Canadian crude oil — especially heavy crude — to tidewater for export to Asia.
If you want, I can map out:
the likely corridors (Prince Rupert vs Kitimat vs Vancouver)
the engineering constraints
the political feasibility of each route
or how this fits into Canada’s long‑term export strategy
Just tell me where you want to go next.
* * *
For maps of existing pipelines:
https://gemini.google.com/share/11a31d5c9ea9
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