Canadian Inventories Climb

Canada’s primary underground propane inventories increased by 14.2% in April, according to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). The total represented a month-to-month increase of 118.4 Mcm. Compared to a year earlier, stocks were higher, with 295.5 Mcm, or 44.8%, more product on hand.

Propane storages in the West started May a bit higher at 591.5 Mcm, which corresponds to 3.7 MMbbl, the agency reported. During April, volumes increased by 67.2 Mcm, or 12.8%, and remained well above the year prior’s level of 438.8 Mcm, for a year-over-year gain of 152.7, or 34.8%. In the East, supplies began the month of May at 363.4 Mcm, commensurate with 2.3 MMbbl. This gain put propane 51.2 Mcm, or 16.4%, higher for the month, with a major increase of 142.8, or 64.7%, above a year earlier.

Canadian butane inventories stood at 732.2 Mcm at the beginning of May, for a gain of 93.3 Mcm, or 14.6%, from April. Like propane, the year-over-year comparison finds butane volumes to be higher than the prior year’s total, with inventories 82.0 Mcm, or 12.6%, above 2020. Western butane supplies, at 517.3 Mcm, were higher by 15.1 Mcm, or 3.0%, from the previous month, and were 70.3 Mcm, or 15.7%, higher than last year. Eastern butane, at 214.9 Mcm, was 78.2 Mcm, was up 57.2%, month over month, and totaled 11.7 Mcm, or 5.8%, above a year earlier.

Source for numbers: https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-commodities/natural-gas-liquids/statistics/liquefied-petroleum-gas-lpg-statistics.html