Canada: Oil pipelines could face capacity constraints by 2008

Canadian oil pipelines could face capacity constraints by 2008 because of a surge in heavy crude oil from the Alberta oilsands, the National Energy Board says.

Growing demand for natural gas in North America is also expected to exceed domestic supplies and pose potential new challenges for gas pipelines, according to an annual survey released Friday by the board.

The demand for natural gas for oilsands production alone is expected to triple over the next decade to about 2.1 billion cubic feet per day from about 700 million cubic feet, according to the report, An Assessment of the Canadian Hydrocarbon Transportation System.

CBC