diff --git a/cypress/integration/rendering/sankey.spec.js b/cypress/integration/rendering/sankey.spec.js
index 5b9bcf870..3ed242724 100644
--- a/cypress/integration/rendering/sankey.spec.js
+++ b/cypress/integration/rendering/sankey.spec.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ describe('Sankey Diagram', () => {
     imgSnapshotTest(
       `
       sankey
-        a -> 30 -> b
+      a,b,10
       `,
       {}
     );
diff --git a/demos/sankey.html b/demos/sankey.html
index 4fc0993bf..3afc83371 100644
--- a/demos/sankey.html
+++ b/demos/sankey.html
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
     <h2>Energy flow</h2>
     <pre class="mermaid">
     sankey
-
+    
     Agricultural 'waste',Bio-conversion,124.729
     Bio-conversion,Liquid,0.597
     Bio-conversion,Losses,26.862
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/parser/energy.csv b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/parser/energy.csv
index ebddaca0c..36fd45d2a 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/parser/energy.csv
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/parser/energy.csv
@@ -64,6 +64,5 @@ Thermal generation,Losses,787.129
 Thermal generation,District heating,79.329
 Tidal,Electricity grid,9.452
 UK land based bioenergy,Bio-conversion,182.01
-
 Wave,Electricity grid,19.013
-Wind,Electricity grid,289.366
+Wind,Electricity grid,289.366
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/parser/sankey.jison b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/parser/sankey.jison
index 7f5d76554..649d2dbd8 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/parser/sankey.jison
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/parser/sankey.jison
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 /** mermaid */
 
-//----------------------------------------------------
-// We support csv format as defined there
-// CSV format // https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4180.txt
-//----------------------------------------------------
+//---------------------------------------------------------
+// We support csv format as defined here:
+// https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4180.txt
+// There are some minor changes for compliance with jison
+// We also parse only 3 columns: source,target,value
+// And allow blank lines for visual purposes
+//---------------------------------------------------------
 
 %lex
 
@@ -23,9 +26,9 @@ TEXTDATA [\u0020-\u0021\u0023-\u002B\u002D-\u007E]
 <<EOF>> { return 'EOF' }
 
 "sankey" { return 'SANKEY' }
+({CRLF}|{LF})+ { return 'NEWLINE' } // let newline to be multiple lines
 {COMMA} { return 'COMMA' }
 {DQUOTE} { return 'DQUOTE' }
-({CRLF}|{LF}) { return 'NEWLINE' }
 {TEXTDATA}* { return 'NON_ESCAPED_TEXT' }
 ({TEXTDATA}|{COMMA}|{CR}|{LF}|{DQUOTE}{DQUOTE})* { return 'ESCAPED_TEXT' }
 
@@ -36,11 +39,9 @@ TEXTDATA [\u0020-\u0021\u0023-\u002B\u002D-\u007E]
 %% // language grammar
 
 start
-  : SANKEY file opt_eof
+  : SANKEY csv opt_eof
   ;
 
-file: csv opt_newline;
-
 csv
   : record csv_tail 
   ;
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ record
       const value = parseFloat($value.trim());
       $$ = yy.addLink(source,target,value);
     } // parse only 3 fields, this is not part of CSV standard
-  | // allow empty record to handle empty lines, this is not part of CSV standard either
+  | {} // allow empty record to handle empty lines, this is not part of CSV standard either
   ;
 
 field
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/sankeyDB.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/sankeyDB.ts
index d44f3e6e8..f3faf9c7a 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/sankeyDB.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/sankeyDB.ts
@@ -19,11 +19,20 @@ import {
 let links: Array<SankeyLink> = [];
 let nodes: Array<SankeyNode> = [];
 let nodesHash: Record<string, SankeyNode> = {};
+let nodeAlign: string = 'justify';
+
+const setNodeAlign = function (alignment: string): void {
+  const nodeAlignments: string[] = ['left', 'right', 'center', 'justify'];
+  if (nodeAlignments.includes(alignment)) nodeAlign = alignment;
+};
+
+const getNodeAlign = () => nodeAlign;
 
 const clear = function () {
   links = [];
   nodes = [];
   nodesHash = {};
+  nodeAlign = 'justify';
   commonClear();
 };
 
@@ -85,6 +94,8 @@ export default {
   getGraph,
   addLink,
   findOrCreateNode,
+  setNodeAlign,
+  getNodeAlign,
   // TODO: If this is a must this probably should be an interface
   getAccTitle,
   setAccTitle,
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/sankeyRenderer.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/sankeyRenderer.ts
index 63abb2a6c..4956b6cf2 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/sankeyRenderer.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sankey/sankeyRenderer.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,13 @@ export const draw = function (text: string, id: string, _version: string, diagOb
   //
 
   const graph = diagObj.db.getGraph();
+  const nodeAligns = {
+    left: d3SankeyLeft,
+    right: d3SankeyRight,
+    center: d3SankeyCenter,
+    justify: d3SankeyJustify,
+  };
+  const nodeAlign = nodeAligns[diagObj.db.getNodeAlign()];
 
   const nodeWidth = 10;
   // Construct and configure a Sankey generator
@@ -96,19 +103,12 @@ export const draw = function (text: string, id: string, _version: string, diagOb
     .nodeId((d) => d.id) // we use 'id' property to identify node
     .nodeWidth(nodeWidth)
     .nodePadding(10)
-    .nodeAlign(d3SankeyJustify) // d3.sankeyLeft, etc.
+    .nodeAlign(nodeAlign) // d3.sankeyLeft, etc.
     .extent([
       [0, 0],
       [width - nodeWidth, height],
     ]);
 
-  //["left", "sankeyLeft"], ["right", "sankeyRight"], ["center", "sankeyCenter"], ["justify", "sankeyJustify"]
-  // .nodeWidth(15)
-  //   .nodePadding(10)
-  //   .extent([[1, 5], [width - 1, height - 5]]);
-  // .nodeId(d => d['id'])
-  //
-
   // Compute the Sankey layout
   // Namely calculate nodes and links positions
   // Our `graph` object will be mutated by this