The present situation of the open-access of products pipeline in the United States and its enlightenment

At present, the products pipelines in China are faced with a series of problems, such as poor interconnectivity, imbalanced regional products, low load factor and transportation bottleneck in some areas. Therefore, it is in an urgentneed to promote the open-access of products pipelines and facilitate the healthy development of the products transportationindustry. In this paper, the present situation of the open-access of products pipelines in the United States was described.Then, the access regulations of pipeline companies in the United States were analyzed from the aspects of accessqualification, information exchange, service pattern, products pipeline tariff, transportation capacity allocation and mixed oiltreatment. Promoting the open-access of product pipelines is favorable for promoting the reform of energy system, ensuringthe safety of products supply and increasing the load factor of products pipeline systems. Finally, the conception on theopen-access scheme of products pipelines in China was proposed as follows by referring to the experience on the openaccessof products pipelines in the United States, combined with the status of products transportation industry in China.First, accelerate the infrastructure construction of products pipelines to lay the foundation for the open-access of productspipelines. Second, standardize and complete the pricing system of products pipeline transportation and maintain the orderof the products transportation market. Third, open the access to products pipelines on the basis of "residual capacity" andensure the public can exercise the right of supervision. Fourth, ensure pipeline companies' voice of operation and promotethe independence of products pipelines. Fifth, normalize the open-access rules of products pipeline companies to ensure allkinds of customers are treated equally.