Capline Nears Capacity as U.S. Oil Exports Surge & Plains Ramps Cactus III Throughput
April southbound flows on Capline reach new highs amid global supply tightness while Permian volumes on Cactus 3 near full capacity
Capline Pipeline Southbound Flows Near Capacity in April Amid Global Oil Supply Shortages
New reported data from the state of Louisiana provides the first look at southbound pipeline flows since the Iran conflict began in March. Capline Pipeline flows from Patoka, Illinois, into Louisiana exceeded 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April, operating near the pipeline’s estimated capacity for a typical light-heavy crude mix (see figure below). The line’s rated capacity ranges from 250,000 to 417,000 bpd depending on the crude slate. Recent wide price spreads between Midcontinent and Gulf Coast markets indicate that major southbound pipelines are running full, as global buyers pull U.S. crude to export terminals to offset international supply shortages.
This strong April data point is encouraging for other key southbound pipelines, including ETCOP JV system moving barrels from Patoka to Nederland, Texas, as well as Seaway and Marketlink lines from Cushing to the Texas coast. The elevated Gulf Coast deliveries have been supported primarily by commercial storage withdrawals and releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) rather than new production growth. As noted in prior analysis, these high flow levels are likely temporary and will be difficult to sustain long-term without significant production increases across major U.S. basins.
Plains Ramps Up Cactus III Pipeline Throughput as Throughput Again Nears Capacity
Since acquiring control of the Cactus III pipeline (formerly the EPIC) in November 2025, Plains has significantly increased the system throughputs. Permian egress volumes on the system have risen from approximately 500,000 barrels per day in late 2025 to nearly 600,000 barrels per day in March 2026, approaching the pipeline’s full capacity of 625,000 bpd (see figure below). Plains has also doubled flows on its Northern Eagle Ford line serving the Hobson area, growing from 20,000 bpd to nearly 40,000 bpd over the same period. This growth is likely partly supported by marketing volumes moving through the recently acquired Ironwood Karnes System, which delivers barrels into Cactus III at the Hobson interconnect.
The recent incremental volume growth has been directed to Corpus Christi rather than Ingleside, as Plains utilizes its wholly owned EPIC Grain Export Terminal in the Inner Harbor, an economically attractive option compared to paying third-party fees at Ingleside (see figure below). With the Iran conflict ongoing and oil prices remaining elevated, Permian production is likely to rise further toward year-end. Cactus III is well positioned to capture additional upside through low-capital-cost expansion projects, including pump station additions and system optimizations that offer strong economics for incremental barrel growth.
Flow/Transaction Updates and New Assets Under Coverage
Plainview has over 400 assets with crude oil throughput or transactional data on our platform and continues to add more each week. Data for existing assets under coverage are posted as soon as they become available. Below are the assets that were updated this week or newly added to coverage.
