Over 190,000 miles of pipelines crisscross the U.S., creating a safe, efficient and reliable underground network to transport the petroleum and natural gas we rely on to fuel our homes, cars and businesses each day.
Louisiana plays a critical role in this pipeline network, as crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas produced here move quietly from onshore and offshore production facilities to processing plants and refineries to consumers throughout our nation and world. New LNG projects in southwest Louisiana and the pipelines that support them bolster the significance of Louisiana's pipeline infrastructure, as well as the value of our energy economy.
Oil production in the U.S. more than doubled and natural gas production increased by 60 percent between 2008 and 2019, according to EIA. As the safest, most energy-efficient and reliable method for transmitting and distributing oil and natural gas, pipelines are among the nation's most significant infrastructure projects, with more than 9,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines currently under construction or expansion and another 12,500 miles either approved or announced.
The design, construction, operation, inspection and maintenance of pipelines are bound by state and federal permitting regulations and requirements, promoting the highest levels of safety and environmental protection. Booster pumps positioned along the pipelines ensure a consistent flow is maintained and product safely moves without interruption 24/7. Pipelines use less energy than trucks and trains, giving them a low carbon footprint, and because most are buried deep underground, they go largely unnoticed.
Here in Louisiana, pipelines safely transport crude oil from onshore and offshore fields to refineries along the Mississippi River, where crude is transformed into fuels and other products. The refined products then travel by pipeline to petrochemical facilities where they are used as feedstock, or to terminals from which they are trucked to retail outlets. The 3,100-mile Plantation Pipeline network, for example, is one of the largest refined petroleum-product pipelines in the country. It runs from near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, through several states, terminating in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. The Plantation Pipeline distributes about 700,000 bpd of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel and biodiesel throughout much of the southern U.S.
Natural gas, meanwhile, is delivered from source to midstream processors via large distribution lines called "mains" and then directly to homes and businesses through local distribution lines. Natural gas pipelines account for the vast majority of the nation's pipeline system, and Louisiana plays an essential role in moving the natural gas produced along the Gulf Coast to markets throughout the U.S. Our state boasts the most active natural gas market center in North America -- the Henry Hub in Erath -- where nine interstate and four intrastate natural gas pipelines connect to provide natural gas to major markets at home and abroad.
Pipelines in southwest Louisiana also supply natural gas to three new LNG plants in Cameron Parish: Venture Global Calcasieu Pass, Cameron LNG and Cheniere LNG Sabine Pass. These new facilities and their supporting pipelines further propel Louisiana's prominence in pipeline infrastructure, natural gas processing and LNG exports.
Venture Global Calcasieu Pass is developing an LNG export facility at the mouth of the Calcasieu Ship Channel, with natural gas supplied to the project via Venture Global's 24-mile TransCameron Pipeline, which is connected to three interstate and intrastate pipelines. The Cameron LNG liquefaction facility and Cheniere LNG's Sabine Pass LNG facility are both connected to extensive pipeline networks.
Louisiana residents can be proud to live in a state that produces, refines and transports the oil and natural gas that fuels our nation and the world. Our safe, efficient and reliable pipeline networks are critical to sustaining and growing our state and national oil and gas industry.
For more information about Louisiana's oil and gas industry and LMOGA's work to protect and grow the industry, visit www.lmoga.com or call (225) 387-3205.
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