The Top 10 pipeline companies North America in 2026 move crude oil, natural gas, NGL, and refined products infrastructure across a continent-spanning network — every barrel exported from the Gulf Coast and every home heated by Transco gas in the US Northeast passes through assets owned by companies on this list. Enbridge leads by liquids capacity, Kinder Morgan by gas transmission scale. See also OGSN’s global pipeline rankings and Top 10 pipeline companies in Europe.
How We Ranked the Top 10 Pipeline Companies in North America
Rankings are based primarily on total pipeline network scale — miles or kilometres of operated infrastructure across all commodity types. Throughput capacity and strategic importance to North American energy supply are used as secondary factors where network mileage figures are closely matched. The commodity mix varies widely across the list: some operators are purely natural gas carriers, others manage crude, NGL, and refined products simultaneously. Rankings reflect overall network scale, not commodity-specific dominance.
1. Enbridge — Canada / United States
Enbridge operates the largest crude oil and liquids pipeline network in North America, with approximately 17,800 miles of liquids mainlines and feeder systems. Its Mainline system alone moves around 3 million barrels per day, making it the single largest mover of crude and liquids on the continent. Enbridge also holds a co-ownership stake in Alliance Pipeline alongside Pembina, adding natural gas gathering capacity across Western Canada. In 2026, Enbridge’s focus remains on integrating its $14 billion US gas utility acquisitions and optimising its cross-border liquids throughput amid Canada-US trade policy uncertainty.
2. TC Energy — Canada
TC Energy operates approximately 93,300 kilometres of natural gas pipelines following the October 2024 spinoff of its liquids business into South Bow Corporation. The restructured company is now a pure-play natural gas and power operator, anchored by the NGTL System in Western Canada, the Canadian Mainline, and the Columbia Gas and Columbia Gulf systems in the United States. TC Energy’s US natural gas assets serve critical demand centres in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast, positioning the company as a key beneficiary of growing LNG export feed gas requirements along the Gulf Coast.
3. Kinder Morgan — United States
Kinder Morgan operates approximately 79,000 miles of pipelines, making it the largest natural gas network operator in the United States by mileage. Its portfolio includes El Paso Natural Gas, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, and the Southern Natural Gas system — together spanning the full length of the US from the Permian Basin to the Northeast. In 2026, Kinder Morgan is in binding open season for the Western Gateway Pipeline with Phillips 66, a project designed to move Permian Basin NGL production to Gulf Coast fractionation and export markets.
4. Energy Transfer — United States
Energy Transfer operates approximately 130,000 miles of pipeline infrastructure across crude oil, natural gas, NGL, and refined products — the largest total mileage of any operator on this list when gathering systems are included. Its footprint spans the Permian Basin, the Eagle Ford, the Appalachian Basin, and the Gulf Coast, with Sunoco LP handling refined products distribution across much of the eastern United States. Energy Transfer’s commodity diversification and scale make it the most complex midstream operator in North America. The company’s Marcus Hook and Lake Charles LNG facilities add export-facing infrastructure to an already extensive domestic network.
5. Williams Companies — United States
Williams Companies operates approximately 33,000 miles of pipeline infrastructure, with its Transco system standing as the single highest-volume interstate natural gas pipeline in the United States. Transco runs 1,800 miles from the Gulf Coast to New York City and processes around 30% of all US natural gas consumed on the Eastern Seaboard. Williams also holds significant gathering and processing positions in the Haynesville, DJ Basin, and Appalachian plays. The combination of Transco’s throughput dominance and growing upstream gathering exposure positions Williams as a core beneficiary of rising Southeast power generation demand in 2026.
6. Enterprise Products Partners — United States
Enterprise Products Partners operates approximately 50,000 miles of NGL, crude oil, natural gas, and refined products infrastructure, including the largest NGL pipeline network in North America. Its Mont Belvieu fractionation complex in Texas is the pricing hub for the entire US NGL market. Enterprise’s Seaway crude pipeline system, ATEX ethane pipeline, and ECHO crude storage terminal in Houston anchor its Gulf Coast export infrastructure. The partnership’s financial discipline and consistent distribution growth make it a benchmark for large-scale midstream capital allocation in the current rate environment.
7. ONEOK — United States
ONEOK operates approximately 50,000 miles of pipeline infrastructure following its $18.8 billion acquisition of Magellan Midstream Partners in 2023 — a transaction that added 9,800 miles of refined products pipelines and 54 terminals to ONEOK’s existing NGL backbone. The combined entity now handles NGL gathering and fractionation across the Mid-Continent and Williston Basin, crude oil transport from the Permian to the Gulf Coast, and refined products distribution across the central United States. ONEOK’s expanded commodity diversification post-Magellan brings its profile closer to Energy Transfer’s multi-commodity model, with continued Permian Basin volume growth as the primary 2026 growth driver.
8. Plains All American — United States / Canada
Plains All American operates approximately 18,300 miles of crude oil and NGL pipelines across the Permian Basin, Western Canada, and the Gulf Coast. Its Peace Pipeline system in Alberta is one of the largest crude gathering networks in Canada, while its Permian Basin crude systems feed Gulf Coast export terminals at Corpus Christi and Houston. Plains’ acquisition of the EPIC Crude Pipeline added a direct Permian-to-Corpus Christi route, strengthening its position in growing Permian export volumes. Canada-US crude flow dynamics remain a key variable for Plains in 2026, given ongoing tariff discussions affecting cross-border pipeline economics.
9. Pembina Pipeline — Canada
Pembina Pipeline operates approximately 18,000 kilometres of NGL, crude oil, and natural gas gathering infrastructure across Western Canada. Its Peace Pipeline system feeds liquids-rich production from the Montney and Duvernay formations into its fractionation and export network, while its Alliance Pipeline co-ownership with Enbridge provides gas gathering exposure into the US Midwest. Pembina’s Cedar LNG project in British Columbia — a floating LNG facility targeting 3 MTPA of capacity — is under construction as of 2026, representing the company’s first material step into LNG export infrastructure. Cedar LNG would be among the first LNG export facilities in Canada when operational.
10. Boardwalk Pipeline — United States
Boardwalk Pipeline operates approximately 14,000 miles of natural gas pipelines through its Gulf South Pipeline and Texas Gas Transmission subsidiaries, connecting Gulf Coast supply basins to markets across the South, Midwest, and Northeast. The system includes approximately 200 billion cubic feet of underground natural gas storage capacity — a significant operational asset in a market where storage utilisation has become increasingly scrutinised following record-low EU storage levels that have reshaped global LNG demand. Boardwalk is wholly owned by Loews Corporation and operates as a privately held entity, making it the only non-publicly traded company among the top 10 pipeline companies in North America.
North American Pipeline Infrastructure in 2026: What to Watch
LNG export feed gas demand is the single largest structural driver of new pipeline investment across the Gulf Coast corridor. Freeport LNG’s return to full capacity, Golden Pass LNG under construction, and multiple projects in open season are pulling incremental volumes through Kinder Morgan, Williams, and TC Energy’s US systems. According to the US Energy Information Administration, US natural gas exports — pipeline plus LNG — hit record levels in 2024 and are projected to continue growing through the decade.
Permian Basin crude and NGL throughput expansion remains the dominant theme on the liquids side. Plains, Energy Transfer, Enterprise, and ONEOK are all adding capacity to accommodate production growth that has consistently outpaced earlier forecasts. Canada-US tariff uncertainty is introducing new risk calculations for cross-border operators, particularly Enbridge and Plains, whose business models depend on unimpeded continental crude flows. Meanwhile, FERC‘s permitting reform agenda under the current US administration has accelerated approval timelines for several large-diameter gas projects that had been stalled for years. The data centre electricity demand surge — concentrated in Texas, Virginia, and the Carolinas — is adding a new and structurally durable load signal to gas pipeline utilisation forecasts across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
For a broader perspective on the companies shaping global pipeline infrastructure, see OGSN’s Top 10 Midstream Companies and Top 10 US Midstream Companies.
Which is the largest pipeline company in North America?
Enbridge is the largest crude oil and liquids pipeline operator in North America, with approximately 17,800 miles of liquids mainlines and a Mainline system capacity of around 3 million barrels per day. By total mileage across all commodities — including gathering systems — Energy Transfer’s 130,000-mile network is the largest on the continent.
What is the biggest natural gas pipeline network in the United States?
Kinder Morgan operates the largest natural gas pipeline network in the US by total mileage at approximately 79,000 miles, encompassing El Paso Natural Gas and Tennessee Gas Pipeline. Williams Companies’ Transco system is the single highest-volume interstate gas pipeline by throughput, handling around 30% of all natural gas consumed on the US Eastern Seaboard.
Which North American pipeline companies are Canadian?
Three of the top 10 pipeline companies in North America are headquartered in Canada: Enbridge, TC Energy, and Pembina Pipeline. All three operate extensively in the United States — Enbridge through its Mainline crude system and gas utilities, TC Energy through the Columbia Gas and Columbia Gulf networks, and Pembina through its co-ownership of Alliance Pipeline.
How does Energy Transfer compare to other pipeline companies in North America?
Energy Transfer operates approximately 130,000 miles of pipeline infrastructure — the largest total mileage of any operator on this list when gathering systems are included. It is also the most commodity-diversified, handling crude oil, natural gas, NGL, and refined products across the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford, Appalachian Basin, and Gulf Coast. Its scale and diversification make it the most complex midstream operator in North America.
What is driving pipeline investment in North America in 2026?
The primary driver is LNG export feed gas demand along the Gulf Coast, where Golden Pass, Corpus Christi Stage 3, and multiple projects in open season are requiring significant incremental gas transport capacity. Permian Basin crude and NGL volume growth is the dominant theme on the liquids side. Additional factors include data centre electricity demand creating new gas load signals in the Southeast, FERC permitting reform accelerating previously stalled project approvals, and Canada-US tariff dynamics adding risk variables to cross-border crude flow economics.