North America to lead global crude oil pipeline additions

GlobalData reports that North America is forecast to add the highest trunk pipeline length to the global crude oil pipelines industry with 44% of global planned additions by 2022.

By GlobalData September 5, 2018

North America is forecast to add the highest trunk pipeline length to the global crude oil pipelines industry of any region between 2018 and 2022, contributing a total length of 16,136 km, which is 44% of global planned additions, according to GlobalData.

The company’s report: ‘Global Crude Oil Pipelines Industry Outlook to 2022’ forecasts that around 36,876 km of planed pipeline length will be added globally by 2022, taking the total global crude oil pipeline length to 398,769 km by 2022. North America also has the highest new build capital expenditure (capex) spending of all the regions, with approximately $48.8 billion during 2018-2022 period. Among the countries in the region, the US would have the highest planned pipeline additions of 11,168 km by 2022.

Soorya Tejomoortula, oil & gas analyst at GlobalData, said: "Booming unconventional oil and gas production is in turn driving the growth of the pipeline network in the US. More and more operators are focusing on connecting growing unconventional production with the Gulf coast for export of oil and gas."

GlobalData identified Africa as the second highest in terms of pipeline length additions as well as the third highest for spending on planned pipelines in the global crude oil pipelines industry to 2022. With an estimated capex of $13.7 billion, the region is set to add a total length of 6,916 km of planned crude oil pipelines to the global oil pipeline industry by 2022. Algeria is forecast to be the top country in the region with a planned oil pipeline addition of 668 km during the outlook period.

Tejomoortula added, "Africa is expanding its crude oil pipeline network for domestic consumption as well as for exports. The planned investment for the pipeline projects are will also generate employment and improve the socio-economic conditions in the region."

The Middle East is the third highest among the global regions in terms of pipeline length additions and the second highest in the industry for spending on new build oil pipelines. The region is expected to add about 5,655 km of planned oil pipelines with estimated capex of $21.6 billion spent between 2018 and 2022. Among the countries in the Middle East, Iran will lead with a planned length additions of 1,198 km by 2022, according to GlobalData’s forecast.

The report also stated the three longest planned global crude oil pipelines in the forecast period are Keystone XL Project in Canada, Basra-Aqaba Oil pipeline in Iraq, and South Sudan-Djibouti in South Sudan with lengths of 1,897 km, 1,700 km, and 1,600 km, respectively. All three are planned natural gas pipelines.

– Edited from a GlobalData press release by CFE Media.