Canadian Inventories Increase from June to July

Canada’s primary underground propane inventories increased by 34.8% in July, according to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). The total represented a month-to-month increase of 389.6 Mcm. Compared to a year earlier, stocks were higher, with 43.7 Mcm, or 3%, more product on hand. 

Propane storages in the West started July a bit higher at 760.8 Mcm, which corresponds to 4.8 MMbbl, the agency reported. From June to July, volumes increased by 131.7 Mcm, or 20.9%, but were below the year prior’s level of 872.9 Mcm, for a year-over-year loss of 112.1, or 12.8%. In the East, supplies began the month of July at 748.4 Mcm, commensurate with 4.7 MMbbl. This gain put propane 258.0 Mcm, or 52.6%, higher for the month, with an increase of 155.9, or 26.3%, above a year earlier. 

Canadian butane inventories stood at 907.5 Mcm at the beginning of July, for a gain of 61.4 Mcm, or 7.3%, from June. Like propane, the year-over-year comparison finds butane volumes to be lower than the prior year’s total, with inventories 108.1 Mcm, or 10.6%, below 2020. Western butane supplies, at 554.9 Mcm, were higher by 5.6 Mcm, or 1%, from the previous month, and were 109.2 Mcm, or 16.4%, lower than last year. Eastern butane, at 352.6 Mcm, was 55.8 Mcm, or 18.8%, higher month over month, and totaled 1.1 Mcm, or 0.3%, above a year earlier. 

Source for numbers: Canada Energy Regulator Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) – Statistics