Energy
Interactive Map: Crude Oil Pipelines and Refineries of the U.S. and Canada
Mapped: Crude Oil Pipelines and Refineries of the U.S. and Canada
Pipelines are the primary method of transporting crude oil around the world, delivering oil and its derivative products swiftly to refineries and empowering reliant businesses.
And North America is a major oil hub. The U.S. and Canada alone are home to more than 90,000 miles of crude oil and petroleum product pipelines, along with more than 140 refineries that can process around 20 million barrels of oil every day.
This interactive graphic uses data from Rextag to map out crude oil pipelines and refineries across the U.S. and Canada, showcasing individual pipeline diameter and daily refinery throughput.
The Longest Crude Oil Pipeline Networks in North America
Since 2010, U.S. crude oil production has more than doubled from 5.4 million barrels a day to more than 11.5 million. Meanwhile, the pipeline networks needed to transport this newly produced oil have only expanded by roughly 56%.
Today, the largest pipeline network across the U.S. and Canada (with a diameter of at least 10 inches) is the 14,919 mile network managed by Plains, which spans from the northwestern tip of Alberta all the way down to the southern coasts of Texas and Louisiana.
Company | Length of Crude Oil Pipeline Network |
---|---|
Plains Pipeline LP | 14,919 miles |
Enbridge Energy Partners LP | 12,974 miles |
Sunoco Inc. | 6,409 miles |
MPLX LP | 5,913 miles |
Lotus Midstream | 5,767 miles |
Source: Rextag
Enbridge owns the next largest crude oil pipeline network, with 12,974 miles of crude oil pipelines that are at least 10 inches in diameter. The Canadian company, one of the world’s largest oil companies, transports about 30% of the crude oil produced in North America.
Following the networks of Plains and Enbridge, there’s a steep drop off in the length of pipeline networks, with Sunoco’s crude oil pipeline network spanning about half the length of Enbridge’s at 6,409 miles.
The Largest Crude Oil Refineries in North America
These various sprawling pipeline networks initially carry crude oil to refineries, where it is processed into gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products.
The refineries with the largest throughput in North America are all located in the Gulf Coast (PADD 3), with the five refineries that process more than 500,000 barrels per day all located in the states of Louisiana and Texas.
Company | City | Refining Capacity (barrels per day) |
---|---|---|
Motiva Enterprises | Port Arthur, Texas | 607,000 |
Marathon Petroleum | Galveston Bay, Texas | 585,000 |
Marathon Petroleum | Garyville, Louisiana | 578,000 |
ExxonMobil | Baytown, Texas | 560,000 |
ExxonMobil | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 518,000 |
Source: Rextag
While Texas and Louisiana have six refineries that process more than 400,000 barrels per day, there are only two other facilities outside of these states with the same kind of throughput, located in Whiting, Indiana (435,000 barrels per day) and Fort McMurray, Alberta (465,000 barrels per day).
Fort McMurray’s facility is an upgrader, which differs from refineries as it upgrades heavy oils like bitumen into lighter synthetic crude oil which flows through pipelines more easily. Many oil refineries aren’t able to directly convert bitumen, which is extracted from oil sands like those found in Alberta, making upgraders a necessary part in the production and processing of crude oil from oil sands.
The Uncertain Future of New Pipelines in North America
The development of new pipelines remains a contentious issue in Canada and the U.S., with the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline emblematic of growing anti-pipeline sentiment. In 2021, only 14 petroleum liquids pipeline projects were completed in the U.S., which was the lowest amount of new pipelines and expansions since 2013.
But domestic energy production is once again in the spotlight due to the U.S. ban on Russian oil imports and Russia’s impending export ban on raw materials. North American consumers are now facing surging gasoline and energy prices as foreign oil is proving to be far less reliable in times of geopolitical turmoil.
It’s important to note that pipelines are not a perfect solution, as leaks and spills in just the last decade have resulted in billions of dollars of damages. From 2010 to 2020, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration recorded 983 incidents that resulted in 149,000 spilled and unrecovered barrels of oil, five fatalities, 27 injuries, and more than $2.5B in damages.
But over the past five years, liquid pipeline incidents have fallen by 21% while pipeline mileage and barrels delivered have increased by more than 27%. Along with these infrastructure improvements, pipeline developers and operators emphasize the lack of better alternatives, as freight and seaborne transportation are both far less efficient and result in more carbon emissions.
Currently, pipelines remain key components of energy consumption across the U.S. and Canada, and as global energy markets face supply squeezes, international sanctions, and geopolitical turbulence, the focus on them has grown.
Energy
Visualizing 10 Years of Global EV Sales by Country
Global EV sales have grown exponentially, more than doubling in 2021 to 6.8 million units. Here’s a look at EV sales by country since 2011.

Visualizing 10 Years of Global EV Sales by Country
This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email every week.
In 2011, around 55,000 electric vehicles (EVs) were sold around the world. 10 years later in 2021, that figure had grown close to 7 million vehicles.
With many countries getting plugged into electrification, the global EV market has seen exponential growth over the last decade. Using data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), this infographic shows the explosion in global EV sales since 2011, highlighting the countries that have grown into the biggest EV markets.
The Early EV Days
From 2011 to 2015, global EV sales grew at an average annual rate of 89%, with roughly one-third of global sales occurring in the U.S. alone.
Year | Total EV Sales | CAGR |
---|---|---|
2011 | 55,414 | - |
2012 | 132,013 | 138.2% |
2013 | 220,343 | 66.9% |
2014 | 361,157 | 63.9% |
2015 | 679,235 | 88.0% |
Total sales / Avg growth | 1,448,162 | 89.3% |
In 2014, the U.S. was the largest EV market followed by China, the Netherlands, Norway, and France. But things changed in 2015, when China’s EV sales grew by 238% relative to 2014, propelling it to the top spot.
China’s growth had been years in the making, with the government offering generous subsidies for electrified cars, in addition to incentives and policies that encouraged production. In 2016, Chinese consumers bought more EVs than the rest of the world combined—and the country hasn’t looked back, accounting for over half of global sales in 2021.
EV Sales by Country in 2021
After remaining fairly flat in 2019, global EV sales grew by 38% in 2020, and then more than doubled in 2021. China was the driver of the growth—the country sold more EVs in 2021 than the rest of the world combined in 2020.
Country | 2021 EV Sales | % of Total |
---|---|---|
China 🇨🇳 | 3,519,054 | 51.7% |
U.S. 🇺🇸 | 631,152 | 9.3% |
Germany 🇩🇪 | 695,657 | 10.2% |
France 🇫🇷 | 322,043 | 4.7% |
UK 🇬🇧 | 326,990 | 4.8% |
Norway 🇳🇴 | 153,699 | 2.3% |
Italy 🇮🇹 | 141,615 | 2.1% |
Sweden 🇸🇪 | 138,771 | 2.0% |
South Korea 🇰🇷 | 119,402 | 1.8% |
Netherlands 🇳🇱 | 97,282 | 1.4% |
Rest of Europe 🇪🇺 | 469,930 | 6.9% |
Rest of the World 🌍 | 313,129 | 4.6% |
Total | 6,809,322 | 100.0% |
China has nearly 300 EV models available for purchase, more than any other country, and it’s also home to four of the world’s 10 largest battery manufacturers. Moreover, the median price of electric cars in China is just 10% more than conventional cars, compared to 45-50% on average in other major markets.
Germany, Europe’s biggest auto market, sold nearly 700,000 EVs in 2021, up 72% from 2020. The country hosts some of the biggest EV factories in Europe, with Tesla, Volkswagen, and Chinese battery giant CATL either planning or operating ‘gigafactories’ there. Overall, sales in Europe increased by 65% in 2021, as evidenced by the seven European countries in the above list.
The U.S. also made a comeback after a two-year drop, with EV sales more than doubling in 2021. The growth was supported by a 24% increase in EV model availability, and also by an increase in production of Tesla models, which accounted for half of U.S. EV sales.
Tesla’s Dominance in the U.S.
Tesla is the world’s most renowned electric car company and its dominance in the U.S. is unmatched.
Between 2011 and 2019, Tesla accounted for 40% of all EVs sold in the United States. Furthermore, Tesla cars have been the top-selling EV models in the U.S. in every year since 2015.
EV Model | 2021 Sales | % of 2021 U.S. EV Sales |
---|---|---|
Tesla Model Y* | 185,994 | 29.5% |
Tesla Model 3* | 147,460 | 23.4% |
Ford Mustang Mach-E | 27,140 | 4.3% |
Chevy Bolt EV/EUV | 24,828 | 3.9% |
Volkswagen ID.4 | 16,742 | 2.7% |
Tesla Model S* | 15,545 | 2.5% |
Nissan Leaf | 14,239 | 2.3% |
Porsche Taycan | 9,419 | 1.5% |
Tesla Model X* | 7,985 | 1.3% |
Audi e-tron | 7,429 | 1.2% |
*Estimates
Share of total sales calculated using total U.S. EV sales of 631,152 units, based on data from the IEA.
Source: Cleantechnica
Tesla accounted for over 50% of EV sales in the U.S. in 2021 with the Model Y—launched in 2019—taking the top spot. Furthermore, the Model Y remained the bestselling EV in the first quarter of 2022, with Tesla taking up a massive 75% of the EV market share.
Despite Tesla’s popularity, it could face a challenge as other automakers roll out new models and expand EV production. For example, General Motors aims to make 20 EV models available by 2025, and Ford expects to produce at least 2 million EVs annually by 2026. This increase in competition from incumbents and new entrants could eat away at Tesla’s market share in the coming years.
Energy
Which Countries Produce the Most Natural Gas?
Natural gas prices have risen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This visualization highlights the world’s largest natural gas producers.

Which Countries Produce the Most Natural Gas?
This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email every week.
Natural gas prices have risen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, exacerbating an already tight supply situation.
Making matters worse, Moscow has since cut gas exports to Europe to multi-year lows, sending Europe’s gas price to almost 10 times its pre-war average.
Using data from BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy, the above infographic provides further context on the gas market by visualizing the world’s largest gas producers in 2021.
Natural Gas Consumption at All-Time High in 2021
Natural gas is part of nearly every aspect of our daily lives. It is used for heating, cooking, electricity generation, as fuel for motor vehicles, in fertilizers, and in the manufacture of plastics.
The fuel is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas and non-renewable fossil fuel that forms below the Earth’s surface. Although the Earth has enormous quantities of natural gas, much of it is in areas far from where the fuel is needed. To facilitate transport and reduce volume, natural gas is frequently converted into liquefied natural gas (LNG), in a process called liquefaction.
Despite global efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, natural gas consumption reached a new all-time high in 2021, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 by 3.3%.
Demand is expected to decline slightly in 2022 and remain subdued up to 2025, according to the International Energy Agency.
Region | 2021 Demand in Billion Cubic Meters (bcm) | 2022P (bcm) | 2025P (bcm) |
---|---|---|---|
Africa | 169 | 172 | 188 |
Asia Pacific | 895 | 907 | 990 |
Central and South America | 153 | 147 | 153 |
Eurasia | 634 | 619 | 632 |
Europe | 604 | 549 | 536 |
Middle East | 564 | 582 | 627 |
North America | 1,084 | 1,108 | 1,116 |
World | 4,103 | 4,083 | 4,243 |
The Asia Pacific region and the industrial sector are expected to be the main drivers of global gas consumption in the coming years
Natural Gas Production, by Country
The world’s top 10 producers of natural gas account for about 73% of total production.
Rank | Country | 2021 Production (bcm) | Share % |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 🇺🇸 United States | 934.2 | 23.1% |
#2 | 🇷🇺 Russia | 701.7 | 17.4% |
#3 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 256.7 | 6.4% |
#4 | 🇨🇳 China | 209.2 | 5.2% |
#5 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 177.0 | 4.4% |
#6 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 172.3 | 4.3% |
#7 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 147.2 | 3.6% |
#8 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 117.3 | 2.9% |
#9 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 114.3 | 2.8% |
#10 | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 100.8 | 2.5% |
#12 | 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | 79.3 | 2.0% |
#13 | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 74.2 | 1.8% |
#14 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 67.8 | 1.7% |
#15 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 59.3 | 1.5% |
#16 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 57.0 | 1.4% |
#17 | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 50.9 | 1.3% |
#18 | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 45.9 | 1.1% |
🌐 Rest of the World | 671.8 | 16.6% | |
🌐 Global Total | 4,036.9 | 100.0% |
Natural gas accounts for 32% of primary energy consumption in the United States, the world’s largest producer. Russia is the second biggest producer, and also has at least 37 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves, the most in the world.
China’s natural gas production grew by 7.8% in 2021, and it has nearly doubled since 2011. This sustained growth in production is partly down to government policies incentivizing coal-to-gas switching.
Europe’s Natural Gas Crisis
Russia has significantly reduced flows of natural gas to Europe since Western nations imposed sanctions on the Kremlin following the invasion of Ukraine. Before the war, the European Union (EU) imported about 40% of its natural gas from Russia.
The gas is transported by the Nord Stream system, a pair of offshore natural gas pipeline networks in Europe that run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.
Russian energy giant Gazprom recently halved the amount of natural gas flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20% of capacity, blaming Western sanctions for a delay in the delivery in a necessary turbine. EU officials say Russia is “weaponizing” its gas supply.
Amid tensions, the EU bloc outlined a plan to phase out dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Lithuania ceased Russian gas imports at the beginning of April. Estonia’s and Latvia’s imports also dropped to zero at the start of that month. Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Poland all announced that they do not intend to renew long-term contracts with Gazprom.
Despite these efforts, Europe remains dependent on Russia for its supply of natural gas, at least in the short and medium term.
-
Markets4 weeks ago
The $100 Trillion Global Economy in One Chart
-
Demographics3 weeks ago
Ranked: The 20 Countries With the Fastest Declining Populations
-
Investor Education4 weeks ago
Countries with the Highest Default Risk in 2022
-
Misc6 days ago
Visualizing Which Countries Drink the Most Beer
-
Energy2 weeks ago
Visualizing the World’s Largest Oil Producers
-
Personal Finance1 week ago
Mapped: The Salary You Need to Buy a Home in 50 U.S. Cities
-
Energy6 days ago
Which Countries Produce the Most Natural Gas?
-
Agriculture3 weeks ago
Timeline: The Domestication of Animals