Dakota Access Pipeline Capacity Upped by 70k to 570k per day

Williston, ND (KEYZ)  Record harvesting of Bakken shale oil has compelled the owners of the Dakota Access Oil Pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners to boost capacity for the line by 70-thousand barrels per day.   From today the announcement says, the pipeline will carry 570-thousand barrels per day, south eastward to Illinois.

Flows on the pipeline averaged above 500,000 bpd in the fourth quarter and nominations for space on the line exceeded available capacity during the quarter, a company executive said on its earnings call.

Energy Transfer said it is considering more expansions on the system due to the surge in demand, adding it would be able to add capacity by increasing horsepower to boost throughput.

In North Dakota’s Bakken region, shale production is estimated to rise about 13,000 bpd to a record 1.45 million bpd in March.  The U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a monthly report on Tuesday shale production alone will hit a record 8.4 million barrels per day next month, suggesting little chance of a near-term slowdown in overall U.S. crude output.

A shale revolution has helped propel the United States to the position of world’s biggest crude oil producer, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia with total crude production  climbing to a weekly record of 11.9 million bpd.