Trans Mountain

What Trans Mountain does

Trans Mountain Corporation is a Canadian federal Crown corporation that operates Canada's only pipeline system transporting crude oil and refined petroleum products to the West Coast. The system spans approximately 1,180 kilometres between Edmonton, Alberta and Burnaby, British Columbia, with an additional 111-kilometre extension into Washington State, and is supported by 33 pump stations and five key facilities (Edmonton, Kamloops, Sumas, Burnaby, and Westridge Marine Terminal). Following the May 2024 completion of the $34 billion Expansion Project, nominal capacity tripled from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day, with three new berths at Westridge Marine Terminal enabling Aframax-class tanker loading for export to Asian markets.

The pipeline's technology stack centres on advanced integrity management: SCADA combined with theoretical flow modelling for 24/7 leak detection from the Edmonton Control Centre, multiple in-line inspection (smart pig) technologies including Magnetic Flux Leakage, caliper, shear wave ultrasonic, and electromagnetic acoustic tools, fibre-optic vibration/temperature monitoring on newly installed segments, and ultrasonic flow meters installed at Expansion Project pump stations. Trans Mountain is the only North American pipeline that batches both refined products and crude oil in the same system, a unique operational capability.

The business model is a regulated, contracted B2B tolling operation. Trans Mountain generates revenue through CER-regulated pipeline transportation tolls and Westridge Marine Terminal services charged to shippers under long-term firm transportation contracts. Approximately 80-90% of capacity is contracted via periodic binding Open Season processes, with shippers nominating volumes through an online Shipper Portal. The company serves Western Canadian oil producers (oilsands majors such as Suncor, Cenovus, and Canadian Natural Resources), four Washington State refineries (BP Cherry Point, Phillips 66 Ferndale, Marathon Anacortes, and Parkland Burnaby), and exports to Asian refiners in China and South Korea. The system is wholly owned by the Government of Canada through Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDEV), following the 2018 federal acquisition from Kinder Morgan for $4.5 billion, with total project investment reaching $34 billion by completion.

Name

Trans Mountain

Legal name

Trans Mountain Corporation

Website

https://transmountain.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Trans Mountain Corporation, a Canadian federal Crown corporation, operates Canada's only pipeline system transporting crude oil and refined products from Edmonton to the West Coast, with 890,000 bpd of contracted capacity serving oilsands producers, US Pacific Northwest refineries, and Asian export markets via Westridge Marine Terminal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crude Oil Pipeline Transportation

NAICS

Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil (48611), Pipeline Transportation of Refined Petroleum Products (48691)

SIC

Pipe Lines (No Natural Gas) (4610)

akta.pro primary industry

Long-Haul / Trunk Crude Oil Pipeline Transportation (TLAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crude Oil Pipeline Transportation (EUALADAA), Refined Products Pipeline Transportation (Gasoline/Diesel/Jet) (EUALADAD)

Keywords

• Crude oil pipeline
• Petroleum transportation services
• Marine terminal operations
• Pipeline safety systems
• Oil export infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Pipeline Transportation Tolls: Trans Mountain generates revenue through regulated pipeline transportation tolls charged to shippers (oil producers) for moving crude oil and refined products from Edmonton, Alberta to various delivery points including British Columbia terminals, Washington State refineries, and Westridge Marine Terminal for export. The company operates under CER-regulated tariffs with interim toll structures pending final regulatory approval.
2. Marine Terminal Services: Revenue from vessel loading services at Westridge Marine Terminal including berth fees, marine services, and loading charges for tankers exporting crude to international markets including China and South Korea.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Trans Mountain Corporation operates Canada's only pipeline system transporting crude oil and refined petroleum products to the West Coast. The system consists of approximately 1,180 kilometres of pipeline in Alberta and British Columbia, plus 111 kilometres in Washington State, delivering 890,000 barrels per day. The company offers firm transportation services via long-term contracts, unique pipeline batching of crude and refined products, and marine loading services through the Westridge Marine Terminal at the Port of Vancouver for export to Asian markets.

Product overview

Trans Mountain Corporation operates Canada's only pipeline system transporting oil products to the West Coast, consisting of a core pipeline infrastructure spanning approximately 1,180 kilometres from Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia, plus a 111-kilometre extension to Washington State. The system includes five key facilities (Edmonton Terminal, Kamloops Terminal, Sumas Terminal, Burnaby Terminal, and Westridge Marine Terminal) and 33 pump stations, enabling delivery of approximately 890,000 barrels per day. The company offers unique pipeline batching services for crude oil, semi-refined and refined products. Through its Shipper Portal, customers can access scheduling, nomination, and pool quality data services. The recent Trans Mountain Expansion Project (completed May 2024) tripled capacity and added three berths at Westridge Marine Terminal. The company is pursuing further capacity expansion through DRA and Mainline Optimization projects targeting 1.19 million barrels per day by 2028.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trans Mountain Pipeline System Canada's only pipeline system transporting crude oil and refined petroleum products to the West Coast, consisting of approximately 1,180 kilometres of pipeline in Alberta and British Columbia plus 111 kilometres in Washington state, with current nominal capacity of 890,000 barrels per day.
• Westridge Marine Terminal Loading facility located within the Port of Vancouver with three berths capable of accommodating Aframax-size tankers; a Class 4 Oil Handling Facility providing tidewater access to global markets for crude oil exports up to 630,000 bpd and jet fuel deliveries to Vancouver International Airport.
• Edmonton Terminal Beginning of the Trans Mountain Pipeline System, supplied by 20 incoming feeder lines from across Alberta. Houses 39 storage tanks with shell capacity of approximately 9.02 million barrels and the main Control Centre that monitors all pipeline operations 24/7.
• Burnaby Terminal End point of the Trans Mountain Pipeline System in British Columbia, serving as a local distribution point for crude oil and refined products to local terminals, the Parkland refinery, and Westridge Marine Terminal. Has 26 storage tanks with approximately 5.5 million barrels storage capacity.
• Sumas Pump Station and Terminal Located in Abbotsford, BC, this facility routes crude oil to Burnaby Terminal and to Washington State via the Trans Mountain Puget Sound Pipeline System. Sumas Terminal has seven storage tanks with approximately 890,000 barrels capacity.
• Trans Mountain Puget Sound Pipeline 111-kilometre pipeline system in Washington state that has been shipping Canadian crude oil products to refineries in Anacortes and Ferndale since 1954, with capacity up to about 240,000 bpd depending on petroleum types transported.
• Pipeline Batching Services Service transporting crude oil, semi-refined and refined products in batches through the same pipeline system. Trans Mountain is the only pipeline in North America that carries both refined product and crude oil in batches.
• Shipper Portal Online digital platform for shippers (customers who own products transported in the pipeline) to view pool composition reports, nomination information, quality data, and access scheduling and volumetric accounting services.
• Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX) — Expanded Pipeline System The expanded Trans Mountain Pipeline System with nominal capacity of 890,000 barrels per day (up from 300,000 bpd pre-expansion), enabled by twinning the 1,180 km line from Edmonton to Burnaby and adding three new berths at Westridge Marine Terminal. Provides direct Canadian crude access to world markets including Asia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced WCS-WTI price differential to approximately $10-12 per barrel (tightest in three decades), generating approximately $16.7 billion in additional oil revenues for Canada
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Government of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024The Canadian federal government purchased Trans Mountain from Kinder Morgan for $4.5 billion in 2018 and continued investment through the $34 billion expansion project. The pipeline remains government-owned through Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDEV) as a Crown corporation. CEO Mark Maki and CDEV head Elizabeth Wademan have indicated Ottawa may hold the pipeline indefinitely as a strategic sovereign asset.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Enbridge Inc. Canada's largest crude oil and liquids pipeline operator, with mainline systems including Line 3, Line 5, and the Mainline from Edmonton to Ontario and the U.S. Midwest. Most directly comparable midstream peer given overlapping Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin shipper base and regulated toll structures.
• Pembina Pipeline Corporation: Major Canadian midstream operator with extensive crude oil, NGL, and natural gas pipeline infrastructure across Western Canada. Directly comparable given shared Alberta-focused shipper base and pipeline transportation toll revenue model.
• TC Energy Corporation: Canadian pipeline major with oil & liquids assets (now partially within South Bow) plus the largest regulated natural gas transmission system in North America. Several Trans Mountain executives (CEO Mark Maki, COO Michael Davies) came from TC Energy, evidencing direct talent and operating overlap.
• South Bow Corporation: Recent TC Energy spin-off operating the Canadian liquids pipelines business including Keystone and Marketlink. Direct competitor in Western Canadian crude oil transportation with broadly similar shipper base to Trans Mountain.

Broad incumbents

• Kinder Morgan, Inc. Former owner of Trans Mountain (sold to the Canadian government in 2018 for $4.5B). Operates one of the largest pipeline networks in North America including oil, gas, and refined product systems across the U.S. and Canada.
• Phillips 66: Major U.S. refiner receiving Canadian crude from Trans Mountain via the Puget Sound Pipeline at Ferndale. Comparable as a downstream buyer of TM throughput and as a large integrated pipeline/refining operator.

Regional players

• Gibson Energy Inc. Canadian midstream company focused on infrastructure including terminals, processing, and liquids storage/distribution at Hardisty and Edmonton. Comparable as a Western Canadian midstream infrastructure operator serving overlapping upstream producers.
• Keyera Corp. Canadian midstream operator with gathering, processing, NGL, and crude oil infrastructure in Western Canada. Comparable as a midstream services and pipeline company anchored to Alberta oilfield production.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TransMtn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TransMtn
• Facebookfacebook.com/TransMtn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trans-mountain

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trans Mountain