I spent some time this week exploring gas pipeline data sources across different markets. If you’re building anything in the energy space - trading systems, analytics, visualizations - knowing where the data lives is half the battle.

Here’s what I found.

EU: One Source to Rule Them All

The EU has this figured out. ENTSOG (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas) provides a single transparency platform with:

  • Pipeline routes and capacities
  • Real-time flow data
  • Capacity bookings and nominations

For detailed pipeline geography, Global Energy Monitor maintains wiki pages with coordinates. Norwegian infrastructure specifically is on Gassco’s map.

One regulatory framework, one data source. Simple.

US: Fragmented by Design

The US is a different story. Data is scattered across:

  • EIA - official energy statistics, good for aggregates
  • FERC - regulatory filings, capacity data buried in PDFs
  • EIA Atlas - interactive maps, decent for exploration
  • Commercial providers (Platts, S&P Global) - real-time flows, but expensive

The pipeline network is massive (300,000+ miles) but there’s no single transparency platform like ENTSOG. You end up piecing together data from multiple sources.

Canada: Reasonably Organized

Canada sits somewhere in between. The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) publishes pipeline maps and flow data. TC Energy operates most major pipelines and publishes capacity info.

Not as centralized as EU, but better than the US.

Mexico: The Newcomer

Mexico’s gas infrastructure is newer and expanding rapidly, mostly fed by US imports. CENAGAS operates the national system (Sistrangas) and publishes basic data.

Coverage is improving but still limited compared to mature markets.

The Takeaway

If you’re building energy data products, the EU has set the standard for transparency. North America could learn from ENTSOG’s centralized approach.

For anyone doing pipeline research:

  • Start with ENTSOG for EU
  • Expect to scrape FERC filings for US
  • Check CER for Canada
  • Accept that Mexico data is a work in progress

The fragmentation in North America creates opportunities for data aggregators - but also means more work if you’re doing it yourself.