Energy statistics, September 2024
Released: 2024-11-28
23.6 million cubic metres
September 2024
1.2% 
(12-month change)
9.3 million cubic metres
September 2024
2.2%
(12-month change)
619.4 million gigajoules
September 2024
-1.1% 
(12-month change)
45.5 million megawatt-hours
September 2024
2.7%
(12-month change)
Primary energy production rose 0.4% in September, with crude oil (+1.2%) contributing the most to the increase. Secondary energy production edged down 0.3%, with refined petroleum products (-0.8%) leading the decrease.
Chart 1
Year over year contribution to change in primary energy production
For more information on energy in Canada, including production, consumption, international trade and much more, visit the Canadian Centre for Energy Information portal and follow #energynews on social media.
Closing inventories of natural gas set new series high in September
Closing inventories of natural gas held in Canadian facilities stood at 1.2 billion gigajoules in September, surpassing the level observed in August and setting a new record high. Inventory levels in September represented an increase of 8.4% year over year and were 5.1% higher than August 2024. Lower demand for heating because of a warmer than usual winter in 2024, coupled with elevated production levels, have resulted in larger amounts of natural gas being injected into storage. In September, storage levels were 18.7% higher than the five-year average for the month.
Production of marketable natural gas fell 1.1% year over year in September to 619.4 million gigajoules. This was the lowest production level since June 2023 and the second monthly decrease in three months as some natural gas producers reduced production in the face of limited storage capacity and low prices. Meanwhile, deliveries of natural gas to Canadian consumers rose 1.4% to 330.4 million gigajoules in September 2024, driven primarily by the industrial sector in Ontario (+13.7%).
Chart 2
Canadian natural gas production, total consumption, and closing inventory levels
Electricity generation climbs in September, while imports fall
Total electricity generation in Canada was up 2.7% to 45.5 million megawatt-hours (MWh) in September, the third consecutive monthly year-over-year increase. Wind (+31.0%) was the largest contributor to the overall increase and was at its highest September level of generation since this series was redesigned in 2016. Electricity generation from combustibles (+5.9%), nuclear (+2.4%) and solar (+15.4%) also rose. A year-over-year decrease in hydroelectric generation (-1.5%) slightly offset the overall increase in generation.
Alberta (+33.6%) accounted for the greatest share of the year-over-year increase in wind generation in September, partly because of new facilities coming online over the past 12 months. Meanwhile, Ontario (+18.7%) was primarily responsible for the increase in electricity generation from combustibles in September.
Exports of electricity to the United States edged down 0.2% to 3.3 million MWh in September, while imports dropped 41.1% to 1.5 million MWh. British Columbia (-53.6%) accounted for the majority of the decrease in imports, as drought conditions improved compared with September 2023. This translated to an increase in hydroelectric generation and reduced reliance on imported electricity in that province.
Chart 3
British Columbia electricity imports and hydroelectric generation
Crude oil production rises year over year
Production of crude oil and equivalent products rose 1.2% to 23.6 million cubic metres in September. This was the 12th consecutive month of year-over-year increases albeit the smallest since January.
Conventional oil extraction was up 9.1% to 5.9 million cubic metres in September, offsetting the decline in oil sands extraction. The gain was largely driven by the production of light and medium crude oil in Newfoundland and Labrador, which rose 92.4% year over year because of maintenance, reducing production in September 2023.
Oil sands extraction fell 2.5% year over year to 15.3 million cubic metres in September 2024. The decline was driven by lower production of crude bitumen (-9.5%), while production of synthetic crude rose 11.7% year over year despite some turnaround activities underway at two upgraders.
Chart 4
Canadian production of crude oil
The newly expanded Trans Mountain Pipeline began operation in May 2024, transporting crude oil and refined petroleum products from Edmonton, Alberta, to the port of Burnaby, British Columbia. This expansion nearly triples the capacity of the existing pipeline built in 1953, opening more Canadian crude oil for export to the global market.
Production of finished petroleum products up in September, while consumption falls
Production of finished petroleum products climbed 2.2% year over year to 9.3 million cubic metres in September. The increase was mainly attributable to distillate fuel oil, which rose 8.3% to 3.4 million cubic metres.
Consumption of finished petroleum products decreased 3.5% year over year to 8.7 million cubic metres in September, with finished motor gasoline (-3.7%) contributing most to the decline.
Chart 5
Production and consumption of finished petroleum products
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Note to readers
The Energy statistics program relies on data collected from respondents and administrative sources.
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. For more information, consult the Consolidated Energy Statistics Table: User Guide.
Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted.
The following survey programs support the "Energy statistics" release:
- Crude oil and natural gas (survey number 2198; tables 25-10-0036-01, 25-10-0055-01 and 25-10-0063-01)
- 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)
- Refined petroleum products (survey number 2150; table 25-10-0081-01).
- Renewable fuel and hydrogen (survey number 5294; table 25-10-0082-01)
- 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).
Revisions
Energy survey data and administrative sources are subject to revisions to reflect new or updated information. Historical revisions will also be processed periodically.
With this release, the following survey programs have processed revisions:
- Table 25-10-0081-01: Petroleum products data have been revised back to January 2019. Saskatchewan estimates for asphalt and residual fuel oil, which were previously suppressed, are now public.
- Table 25-10-0082-01: Renewable fuel plant statistics data have been revised back to November 2023 to reflect newly reported data from survey respondents.
The monthly natural gas tables have been revised to reflect newly reported data from survey respondents.
- Table 25-10-0057-01: Canadian natural gas storage data have been revised for the period from April to August 2024.
- Table 25-10-0058-01: Canadian monthly natural gas transmission data have been revised for July 2024.
- Table 25-10-0059-01: Canadian monthly natural gas distribution data have been revised for the period from January to August 2024.
Crude oil and natural gas liquids tables have been revised because of newly obtained data from survey respondents.
- Table 25-10-0036-01: Natural gas liquids and sulphur products from processing plants data have been revised back to June 2024.
- Table 25-10-0055-01: Supply and disposition of natural gas data have been revised back to January 2024.
- Table 25-10-0063-01: Supply and disposition of crude oil and equivalent data have been revised back to January 2024.
Table 25-10-0079-01: Consolidated energy statistics have been revised back to January 2020 to incorporate data from the above-mentioned revisions.
Occasionally, data from Environment and Climate Change Canada are referenced by the Energy Statistics Program using Cooling Degree Days (CDDs) or Heating Degree Days (HDDs) as a measure of temperature. CDDs reflect the relationship between outdoor temperatures and the need to cool indoors to maintain room temperature. As temperatures outside rise, the number of CDDs increases. HDDs are the opposite and reflect the need to heat indoors to maintain room temperature. As temperatures outside fall, the number of HDDs increases.
Contact information
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