Heavy Oil Discount Widens

• WCS for June delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, closed at $12.20 a barrel below WTI, according to brokerage CalRock, after closing at $11.70 a barrel below the benchmark on Wednesday.

• Canadian heavy crude differentials remain relatively strong thanks to the 590,000 barrel per day (bpd) Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) starting commercial operations.

• Canada’s oil sands producers have been reporting strong production during first quarter earnings call and a new report said oil sands output would rise 15% to reach 3.8 million bpd by 2030.

• Global oil prices edged up to a one-week high on data from China and the U.S. signaling demand in the world’s two biggest crude-consuming nations could climb.

(Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; Editing by Rashmi Aich)