Longhorn Oil Pipeline

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

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Longhorn Oil Pipeline, previously known as the Houston-to-El Paso Pipeline, is an operating oil pipeline in the United States.

Location

The pipeline runs from Crane, Texas, to the East Houston Terminal, Texas, United States.

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Project details

• Operator:
• Owner: Magellan Midstream Partners
• Parent company: Magellan Midstream Partners
• Capacity: 275,000 barrels per day
• Length: 450 miles
• Diameter: 18 inches
• Status: Operating
• Start year: 1950 (approx.), 2013

Background

The original pipeline started in the 1950s and ran from Houston to El Paso in Texas. In 2013 owner Magellan Midstream Partners reversed part of the pipeline, known as the Longhorn line, so that it could deliver crude oil from the Permian Basin to refineries in Houston, Texas. The capacity was increased to 275,000 bpd in 2014, at a cost of US$55 million. The company also added a new point of origin for the line in 2015, at Barnhart, Texas, at a cost of US$25 million.

In December 2021, Magellan announced that it was evaluating alternative uses for the Longhorn pipeline, including using it to carry natural gas or refined products.

Oil spill

In July 2017 about 50,000 gallons (1,200 barrels) of crude oil spilled from the pipeline at Bastrop, about 30 miles east of Austin. The spill occurred after a contractor accidentally struck a fitting on the underground pipeline system. Afterwards the pipeline was shut off as the cleanup began, and a 1-mile area was evacuated.