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Project Snapshot

Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion Project
Facility Type:	Pipeline
Scope:	Expansion
Owner:	TransCanada (developer and operator); ConocoPhillips
Location:	Hardisty, Alberta to Port Arthur, Texas United States
Region:	North America
Modified: September 12, 2008
Images:	Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion Description: This map shows the proposed Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion Project (Keystone XL) pipeline expansion project that is slated to begin service in 2012. Keystone XL will complement the Keystone Pipeline, serving existing refineries and markets on the U.S. Gulf Coast in Texas. Photo source: TransCanada

Project description

TransCanada and ConocoPhillips are planning to expand the Keystone crude oil pipeline system in order to increase its capacity from 590,000 barrels to approximately 1.1 million barrels per day. The pipeline will connect a growing supply of Canadian crude oil with a rising U.S. demand for energy by 2012.

The expansion includes a 1,980-mile, 36-inch crude oil pipeline starting at Hardisty, Alberta, and extending south to a delivery point near terminals in Port Arthur, Texas. The project includes adding pumping facilities, so the Keystone pipeline system could eventually expand its capacity from 1.1 million to 1.5 million barrels per day, according to TransCanada.

The 478-mile pipeline that extends from Cushing, Okla., to Port Arthur, Texas, might also include a 50-mile pipeline from Liberty County, Texas to Houston, Texas, depending on shipper support.

The proposed Canadian portion of the pipeline is 327 miles in length and will extend from Hardisty to Monchy, Saskatchewan. The U.S. portion will begin at Morgan, Mont., and travel through South Dakota and Nebraska, which is 836 miles. The pipeline will then connect to the proposed 296-mile Keystone XL expansion that will begin in Steele City, Neb.

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Key Stats

Pipeline type:
oil

Diameter:
36-inch

Length:
1,980-mile

Committed capacity :
300,000 barrels per day to the U.S. Gulf Coast for an average term of 18 years during a binding open season

In service:
2012

Cost:
$7B

State Dept. Extends Keystone XL Review
Jul 27, 2010 - The U.S. State Department has delayed a decision on a pipeline expansion that would ship oil-sands crude from Canada to Texas.

EPA Calls for Further Study of Keystone XL
Jul 21, 2010 - The environmental impact of crude production from Canada's oil sands should be studied more closely before the U.S. approves a new pipeline from its northern neighbor, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.

Enviro Groups, 50 Congressmen Mobilize Against Keystone XL
Jun 24, 2010 - Saying "we need to be cautious" with an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) joined environmentalists Wednesday in opposing quick authorization of the Keystone XL project.

Pipeline Plan Switch Wins Praise
May 13, 2010 - Oklahoma oil producers gained a "win-win-win" when a Canadian company chose to build its pipeline from the Cushing hub to the Gulf Coast refining region before it constructs the system's northern leg, an industry executive said Wednesday.

Oil Sands Exporters Set Sights On Gulf Coast
Mar 23, 2010 - Canadian producers of crude from oil sands are making a big push into the U.S. Gulf Coast market.

Keystone XL Clears Hurdle In South Dakota
Feb 19, 2010 - The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission granted a permit, with 50 conditions, for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline in western South Dakota. The action came during an ad hoc commission meeting Thursday in Pierre, S.D.

NEB Sets Keystone XL Hearing
May 13, 2009 - The National Energy Board (NEB) has scheduled an oral hearing on an application from TransCanada Keystone Pipeline GP Ltd. (Keystone) to construct and operate the Canadian portion of its proposed Keystone XL pipeline project.

WorleyParsons Wins Contract for Keystone Expansion
Mar 06, 2009 - WorleyParsons Limited has been awarded the detailed engineering, commissioning and construction support for the facilities of the Keystone Pipeline System expansion for TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, LP.

TransCanada's Kvisle: Oil Sands Delays Won't Slow Keystone
Feb 04, 2009 - TransCanada Corp. (TRP) said Tuesday it expects its Keystone oil pipeline to come into service in 2012 as scheduled, quashing earlier signals it could slow the project on delays to oil sands projects.

Oil Sands Project Delays Could Be Boon for US Refiners
Jan 08, 2009 - The wave of project delays in Alberta's massive oil sands could benefit U.S. refiners at the cost of the provincial government's ambitions.

SD Task Force: Pipeline Oversight Sufficient
Dec 08, 2008 - A task force report to the governor suggests no major changes in state regulation of existing or proposed pipelines across South Dakota.

TransCanada, ConocoPhillips To Expand Keystone To Gulf Coast
Jul 16, 2008 - TransCanada Corp. has announced plans to expand the Keystone crude oil pipeline system and provide additional capacity of 500,000 barrels per day from Western Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2012.

TransCanada Proposes Second Oil Pipeline
Jun 12, 2008 - The project would connect with the Keystone pipeline already being built.