Canada could add up to 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil export capacity to the United States through technical improvements to existing pipelines and increased crude by rail shipments, Alberta premier Jason Kenney told a U.S. Senate committee on Tuesday.
Alberta, the biggest oil-producing province in Canada, has been studying ways to enhance pipeline utilization to boost crude exports as Europe seeks to reduce its dependence on Russian oil.
Kenney and federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson were in Washington addressing a Senate energy and natural resources committee on the issue of energy security.
The Canadian government has previously said Canada could increase oil exports via pipeline by 300,000 bpd by the end of this year.
Kenney said an extra 200 bpd on top of that could be shipped south by rail, while technical improvements from midstream companies could add as much as 400,000 bpd of pipeline capacity by next year.
“This concept of a North American energy alliance is manifestly in the interest of both the U.S. and Canadian people,” Kenney said.
The premier urged senators to help safeguard the Enbridge Inc Line 5 pipeline, which the state of Michigan is trying to shut down because of concerns it could leak into the Great Lakes.
He also condemned President Joe Biden’s decision to revoke a key permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, and urged lawmakers to consider plans for a new major Canadian-U.S. export pipeline project.