Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP) on Tuesday announced that following a review of the commitments received through Kinder Morgan Canada's recent Trans Mountain expansion open season, it will extend the Open Season an additional two weeks commencing March 27. This will enable interested parties to provide additional binding volume commitments as a result of project scoping changes.

The company intends to proceed with extensive and thorough consultation to expand the Trans Mountain Pipeline, once final commitments are known. As previously announced, the expansion open season, held between Oct. 20, 2011, and Feb. 16, 2012, received strong binding commercial support from a diverse group of shippers.

For almost 60 years, the 1,150 km existing system has been safely and efficiently providing the only West Coast access for Canadian oil products, including about 90 per cent of the gasoline supplied to the British Columbia's interior and south coast.