Energy statistics, April 2023
Released: 2023-07-10
22.2 million cubic metres
April 2023
-2.7% 
(12-month change)
9.5 million cubic metres
April 2023
5.0% 
(12-month change)
652.5 million gigajoules
April 2023
3.4%
(12-month change)
49.1 million megawatt-hours
April 2023
-2.2%
(12-month change)
April marks the start of the annual spring maintenance season at several energy producing facilities. In 2023, energy producing facilities have also been monitoring threats from a record number of wildfires across the country and making contingency plans for possible disruptions to production.
Chart 1
Daily average production of primary energy slows
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Crude production down as spring turnarounds begin
Production of crude oil and equivalent products fell to 22.2 million cubic metres in April, down 2.7% from the same month a year earlier. This was the first year-over-year decline in 10 months, as seasonal maintenance affected activity in the oil sands.
Oil sands production declined 4.1% year over year to 14.0 million cubic metres in April 2023. The decrease was driven by lower production of crude bitumen (down 6.0% to 8.6 million cubic metres) due to some upgrader mines undergoing planned maintenance. Production of synthetic crude edged down 0.8% to 5.4 million cubic metres in April.
According to the Raw Material Price Index, the price of crude oil and bitumen in April was down 18.3% from a year earlier. Following large fluctuations observed in 2022 due to global energy market instability, the price has stabilized since the start of 2023, rising 2.7% in April from January.
Chart 2
Production of crude oil in April 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, by type of product
Motor gasoline drives increases in production and consumption of finished petroleum products
Production of finished petroleum products rose 5.0% year over year in April, mainly due to a 10.4% increase in finished motor gasoline. Production of gasoline has risen year over year each month since March 2021 and was 2.3% higher in April 2023 compared with its April 2019 level, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, consumption of finished petroleum products rose 2.0% year over year in April 2023, and, like production, was driven by motor gasoline (+5.6%).
Production of renewable fuels was up 3.7% in April. Non-ethanol fuels climbed 22.1%.
Chart 3
Production and consumption of finished motor gasoline in Canada
Natural gas exports decline, while production and inventories increase
Production of marketable natural gas in Canada rose 3.4% year over year to 652.2 million gigajoules in April. In terms of daily average production, April was down a modest 0.9% compared with March, which had the highest production level recorded since the start of this series in January 2016.
Deliveries of natural gas to Canadian consumers edged up 0.5% to 394.0 million gigajoules in April, as increases in industrial consumption (+5.7%) countered decreases from the commercial and institutional (-14.9%) and residential (-6.5%) sectors. The declines were partially due to a warmer April across Canada compared with a year earlier, as reported by Environment and Climate Change Canada. Natural gas is also crucial in crude oil production, and deliveries to the industrial sector have risen in tandem with increased oil production over the past year.
Demand for Canadian natural gas in the United States fell year over year for the fourth consecutive month in April (-10.4% to 245.5 million gigajoules), as the US continued to report higher inventory levels.
Closing inventories of natural gas held in Canadian facilities were up 49.7% year over year in April, as high production and declining exports contributed to more gas put into storage.
Chart 4
Natural gas exports to the United States
Electricity generation declines in April
Total electricity generation in Canada declined 2.2% to 49.1 million megawatt-hours (MWh) in April. Hydroelectric generation in British Columbia was down 28.3% to 3.8 MWh, the lowest level since July 2019. British Columbia continued to deal with drought conditions in April 2023, which have reduced reservoir levels and hydroelectric generation.
Imports of electricity from the United States rose 47.6% in April, mainly due to a 115.5% increase to British Columbia. Meanwhile, exports to the United States rose 2.0% as increases from Manitoba (+78.2%) and Ontario (+21.5%) outweighed a 67.4% drop in exports from British Columbia.
Chart 5
Hydroelectric generation in British Columbia
Note to readers
The consolidated energy statistics table (25-10-0079-01) presents monthly data on primary and secondary energy by fuel type (crude oil, natural gas, electricity, coal, etc.) in terajoules and supply and demand characteristics (production, exports, imports, etc.) for Canada. The table uses data from a variety of survey and administrative sources. Estimates are available starting with the January 2020 reference month. For more information, please consult the Consolidated Energy Statistics Table: User Guide.
The survey programs which support the "Energy statistics" release include:
- Crude oil and natural gas (survey number 2198; tables 25-10-0036-01, 25-10-0055-01 and 25-10-0063-01). Data from January 2020 to March 2023 have been revised.
- Energy transportation and storage (survey number 5300, tables 25-10-0075-01 and 25-10-0077-01).
- Natural gas transmission, storage and distribution (survey numbers 2149, 5210 and 5215; tables 25-10-0057-01, 25-10-0058-01 and 25-10-0059-01). Data from December 2022 to March 2023 have been revised.
- Refined petroleum products (survey number 2150, table 25-10-0081-01). Data from January 2019 to March 2023 have been revised.
- Renewable fuel plant statistics (survey number 5294, table 25-10-0082-01). Data from January 2020 to March 2023 have been revised.
- Electric power statistics (survey number 2151, tables 25-10-0015-01 and 25-10-0016-01).
- Coal and coke statistics (survey numbers 2147 and 2003, tables 25-10-0045-01 and 25-10-0046-01). Data for April 2022 have been revised.
Data are subject to revisions. Energy data and other supporting data used in the text are revised on an ongoing basis for each month of the current year to reflect new information provided by respondents and updates to administrative data. Historical revisions are also performed periodically.
Definitions, data sources and methods for each survey program are available under the respective survey number.
The Energy Statistics Program relies on data collected from respondents and administrative sources.
Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted.
Occasionally, data from Environment and Climate Change Canada is referenced by the Energy Statistics Program using Heating Degree Days (HDDs) as a measure of temperature. HDDs reflect the relationship between outdoor temperatures and the need to heat indoors to maintain room temperature. As temperatures outside fall, the number of HDDs increases.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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