Minnesota Pipe Line Company

What Minnesota Pipe Line Company does

Minnesota Pipe Line Company, LLC is a privately held, Minnesota-based crude oil pipeline operator jointly owned by Marathon Petroleum, Flint Hills Resources, and Trof, Inc., and operated by Flint Hills Resources. Founded in the 1950s, the company runs the Minnesota Pipe Line (MPL) system, a set of four pipelines originating in Clearbrook, MN that transport North American crude oil (from sources including Canada and North Dakota) to two Twin Cities refineries: the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount and the Marathon Petroleum St. Paul Park refinery. These refineries produce much of the transportation fuels used in Minnesota and throughout the Upper Midwest.

The company's core technology is a fixed crude oil pipeline corridor monitored continuously from a 24/7 control center in Wichita, Kansas. Pipeline integrity is managed through a comprehensive program that includes smart 'pig' in-line inspection devices (which image the interior of the pipe similar to medical imaging), aerial and walking patrols, and integrity digs. MPL is regulated by PHMSA at the federal level and by the Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety and Minnesota Public Utilities Commission at the state level, and maintains a public-facing safety program including an emergency hotline, 811 coordination, and first responder training.

MPL's revenue model is built on pipeline transportation tariffs charged to its two shipper customers, both of whom are also equity owners. Tariff rates are not publicly disclosed and are negotiated through commercial agreements. The company operates with 11–50 employees and supplements its core transportation service with community programs such as Discovery Scholarships for local students and first responder safety trainings. There is no disclosed revenue, no external funding, and no M&A activity recorded.

Name

Minnesota Pipe Line Company

Legal name

Minnesota Pipe Line Company, LLC

Website

https://minnesotapipeline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Minnesota Pipe Line Company operates a four-pipeline crude oil system originating in Clearbrook, MN, transporting North American crude to two Twin Cities refineries owned by Marathon Petroleum and Flint Hills Resources, the company's joint owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crude Oil Pipeline Transportation

NAICS

Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil (4861)

SIC

Pipe Lines (No Natural Gas) (4610)

akta.pro primary industry

Crude Oil Pipeline Transportation (EUALADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Crude Oil Feeder / Lateral & Interconnect Pipeline Transportation (TLAGAAAC)

Keywords

• Crude oil transportation
• Pipeline infrastructure
• Petroleum logistics
• Oil pipeline operations
• Pipeline integrity management

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Pipeline Transportation Tariffs: Pipeline tariff fees charged to shippers (oil producers, traders, and refiners) for transporting crude oil through the MPL system from Clearbrook, MN to Twin Cities refineries in St. Paul Park and Rosemount.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Minnesota Pipe Line Company, LLC operates the Minnesota Pipe Line (MPL) system, a network of four crude oil pipelines originating in Clearbrook, MN. The system transports North American crude oil (including from Canada and North Dakota) to two Twin Cities refineries — the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount and the Marathon Petroleum St. Paul Park refinery — for production of transportation fuels serving Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

Product overview

Minnesota Pipe Line Company operates a single core product: the Minnesota Pipe Line (MPL) System, consisting of four crude oil pipelines originating in Clearbrook, MN. The system transports North American crude oil to two Twin Cities refineries—the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount and the Marathon Petroleum St. Paul Park refinery in St. Paul Park—to produce transportation fuels for Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. Supporting services include pipeline safety monitoring (24/7 control center, aerial/walking patrols, in-line inspections, integrity digs), first responder training for local emergency responders, and Discovery Scholarships for local students. The system is operated by Flint Hills Resources, which manages approximately 4,000 miles of pipelines across the U.S.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Minnesota Pipe Line (MPL) System A pipeline system of four pipelines originating in Clearbrook, MN that transports North American crude oil (from Canada and North Dakota) to two Twin Cities refineries: the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount and the Marathon Petroleum St. Paul Park refinery.
• Pipeline Integrity Management A comprehensive program ensuring the mechanical integrity of pipeline systems, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, prevention of releases, and public safety education.
• First Responder Training Mutual aid pipeline safety trainings provided to police and fire departments along the MPL system to equip them for pipeline emergencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pipelines make up less than 0.0001% of all transportation accidents in the U.S.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marathon PetroleumcoreOthersJoint owner of Minnesota Pipe Line Company alongside Flint Hills Resources and Trof, Inc. Marathon Petroleum's St. Paul Park refinery is one of the two refineries served by the MPL system.
• Flint Hills ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint owner and operator of the MPL system. Flint Hills Resources operates approximately 4,000 miles of pipelines and operates the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount, one of the two MPL system destinations. Owns or operates pipelines transporting crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas liquids and chemicals.
• Trof, Inc.minorOthersJoint owner of Minnesota Pipe Line Company alongside Marathon and Flint Hills Resources.
• Gopher State One CallminorOthersMinnesota's 811 call center that notifies underground utility representatives to mark facilities. Contact via 811 or 1-800-252-1166.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Products Partners: Large publicly traded midstream energy partnership with significant crude oil, NGL, and refined products pipeline assets. Comparable as a fee-based pipeline operator serving refineries and producers across the U.S., though far more diversified than MPL.
• Kinder Morgan: One of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America, operating extensive crude oil, refined products, and natural gas pipeline networks. Comparable to MPL as a diversified pipeline operator with crude oil pipeline transportation assets serving refining markets.
• Energy Transfer: Major midstream operator with crude oil, NGL, and refined products pipeline assets across the U.S., including the former Sunoco Logistics footprint. Comparable to MPL as a crude oil pipeline transportation business with refinery and terminal connectivity.
• Plains All American Pipeline: Major U.S. crude oil midstream operator with extensive pipeline gathering and long-haul transportation systems serving refineries across multiple basins. Comparable to MPL as a crude oil pipeline transportation business with tariff-based revenue and refinery off-takers.
• Enbridge: One of North America's largest midstream energy companies operating major crude oil and liquids pipelines. Enbridge owns the Enbridge Mainline system delivering crude from Canada (where MPL also sources feedstock) into the U.S. Midwest, making it a comparable—but much larger—crude oil pipeline operator.

Direct peers

• NuStar Energy: Pipeline and terminal operator focused on crude oil and refined products transportation to U.S. refineries and export points. Comparable as a smaller-scale, fee-based midstream operator with similar refinery off-take business model to MPL.
• Holly Energy Partners: Refinery-focused pipeline and terminal operator that transports crude oil and refined products primarily to HollyFrontier refineries. Closely analogous to MPL's model: dedicated crude pipelines serving affiliated refineries on long-term tariff agreements.
• Magellan Midstream Partners: Midstream operator with long-haul crude oil and refined products pipeline systems serving refineries in the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast. Comparable to MPL in tariff-based crude transportation to inland refineries, though with broader geographic reach.

Others

• Marathon Petroleum: Largest U.S. refiner and a joint owner of MPL; operates the St. Paul Park refinery that MPL serves. Comparable as a customer/owner relationship, though Marathon's core business is refining rather than pipeline transportation.
• Phillips 66: Major U.S. downstream and midstream energy company with refining and pipeline assets, including DCP Midstream. Adjacent peer to MPL given its integrated crude/refined products pipeline and refining footprint serving U.S. regional fuel markets.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MNPipeLine
• Facebookfacebook.com/100071707085233
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minnesota-pipe-line-company-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Minnesota Pipe Line Company