Enbridge Unveils Wrangler Pipeline: Offering Direct Capacity from Wyoming to Cushing, Oklahoma
Unpacking the structural split of Platte and Spearhead and why a resurrected name might matter.
Enbridge has introduced a new pipeline entity known as the Wrangler Pipeline, which relies entirely on leased capacity across Enbridge’s existing Platte and Spearhead pipelines. The service combines Platte Pipeline capacity, running from Casper and Guernsey, Wyoming, to Wood River, Illinois, with the southern portion of the Spearhead Pipeline, which extends from Key, Missouri, to Cushing, Oklahoma (see figure below). By integrating these segments, Enbridge offers shippers a streamlined, single-entity shipping option to transport crude oil from Casper or Guernsey directly to Cushing. Previously, moving barrels along this route required shippers to coordinate across the two separate pipelines and stack their respective rates.
While Enbridge’s precise motivation for creating the Wrangler Pipeline remains somewhat unclear, the move appears designed to optimize flow and offer more flexible shipping solutions. Structurally, this setup effectively divides the capacity of both the Platte and Spearhead systems into western and eastern sections (see figure below), with the western portions of the pipelines largely serving Wrangler and the eastern portions largely tied to the future Southern Illinois Connector leases which we deep dived last week.
In terms of market competition, Wrangler offers an alternative for moving barrels from Wyoming to Cushing, placing it in potential competition with systems like Pony Express and Saddlehorn. However, Wrangler’s initial tariff rates (uncommitted) to Cushing, posted at roughly $6 per barrel, are not currently competitive with the committed rates offered by those rivals. Enbridge could introduce committed tariff rates in the future to capture more volume, though historically the company has favored using Platte’s mainline capacity to move barrels to the Wood River area at higher rates rather than aggressively competing on price into the Cushing market via a Platte + Spearhead discounted joint tariff.
The launch of this service also carries interesting historical echoes. The “Wrangler Pipeline” name was originally used in 2011 for a proposed joint venture between Enbridge and Enterprise to construct a new pipeline from Cushing to the Houston Gulf Coast area. That original project was ultimately shelved and converted into the Seaway 2 expansion after Enbridge acquired a 50% interest in Seaway from ConocoPhillips. The revival of the Wrangler name is notable, if speculative, given recent industry rumors regarding potential plans for a new pipeline route connecting Cushing to Corpus Christi, Texas, a hub where Enbridge operates the largest crude oil export facility in the United States.
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.
