Energy statistics, September 2023
Released: 2023-12-07
23.3 million cubic metres
September 2023
-1.4% 
(12-month change)
9.5 million cubic metres
September 2023
-1.7%
(12-month change)
626.4 million gigajoules
September 2023
0.9% 
(12-month change)
44.3 million megawatt-hours
September 2023
-6.8%
(12-month change)
Primary energy production was down 1.6% year over year in September 2023, with declines in three of the six subsectors. Meanwhile, secondary energy production remained relatively flat, edging up 0.1%.
Chart 1
Year-over-year contribution to change in primary energy production
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Electricity generation continues to fall while imports climb
Total electricity generation in Canada fell 6.8% year over year in September to 44.3 million megawatt-hours (MWh). The decline was driven by hydroelectric generation, down 12.6% to 24.4 million MWh. This marked the lowest levels for both overall generation and hydroelectric generation since this series was redesigned in 2016.
Dry conditions across much of Canada were largely responsible for reduced hydroelectric generation. At the end of September, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada classified about 72% of Canada as unusually dry or drought-stricken. This coincided with the World Meteorological Organization classifying September 2023 as the warmest September on record in North America.
Electricity consumption rose 1.8% to 43.5 million MWh, the highest value recorded for any September since the series redesign.
Chart 2
Total electricity generation in Canada
To meet the increased demand in September, Canada imported 2.5 million MWh from the United States, an increase of 132.4% year over year. Meanwhile, exports declined 44.1% to 3.3 million MWh. This marked the highest level of imports and the lowest level of exports since the series redesign.
Chart 3
Electricity imports from and exports to the United States
Maintenance impacts production of crude oil
Production of crude oil and equivalent products fell 1.4% in September to 23.3 million cubic metres. This was the first year-over-year decline in four months as planned maintenance was underway in the Alberta oil sands and offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, with the latter posting a 34.9% decrease in production compared with the same month a year earlier.
Chart 4
Production of crude oil in Newfoundland and Labrador
Oil sands extraction edged down 0.3% year over year to 15.7 million cubic metres in September as turnarounds at some oil sands upgraders impacted operations. As a result, production of synthetic crude oil fell 2.1% to 5.2 million cubic metres, although the decline was partially offset by near-record crude bitumen production of 10.5 million cubic metres.
Production of finished petroleum products decreases
Production of finished petroleum products declined 1.7% year over year to 9.5 million cubic metres in September. The decrease was mainly due to a 7.7% drop in production of distillate fuel oil, as some refineries went into maintenance in September. The decline was partially offset by an increase in motor gasoline (+6.3%). Production of renewable fuels was up 5.8%.
Chart 5
Production of finished motor gasoline and distillate fuel oil
Consumption of finished petroleum products rose 2.3% year over year in September, due mostly to higher demand for motor gasoline and jet fuel. Exports declined 18.0%, while imports were up 10.1%.
Production and inventories of natural gas remain high in September
Production of marketable natural gas edged up 0.9% year over year in September to 626.4 million gigajoules. This marked the highest level of natural gas production for the month of September since this series began in 2016. September 2023 production stood 10.3% higher than the average September production level for the entire series.
Closing inventories of natural gas increased 18.8% year over year in September to 1.1 billion gigajoules. Inventories were at the highest level recorded since October 2020. Exports declined 2.2% in September 2023, the eighth decrease in the last nine months. High levels of production, high inventory levels in the United States, and declining exports were largely responsible for the rise of inventories in Canada.
Chart 6
Canadian natural gas production and closing inventories
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Note to readers
The survey programs that 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 to August 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).
- Refined petroleum products (survey number 2150, table 25-10-0081-01). Data from January to August 2023 have been revised.
- Renewable fuel plant statistics (survey number 5294, table 25-10-0082-01). Data for July and August 2023 have been revised.
- Electric power statistics (survey number 2151, tables 25-10-0015-01 and 25-10-0016-01). Data for August 2023 have been revised.
- Coal and coke statistics (survey numbers 2147 and 2003, tables 25-10-0045-01 and 25-10-0046-01). Coal data from January to December 2022 have been revised.
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. For more information, please consult the Consolidated Energy Statistics Table: User Guide.
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 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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