Taking action in support of our vital natural resource sector

Did you know that Canada is one of the largest global producers of energy? As the second-largest country in the world, natural resources such as oil, natural gas, minerals and metals (uranium), moving water, and crops found in abundance across the country are utilized to produce energy in Canada in many different forms.

Today, Canada stands as the sixth-largest producer of primary energy production in the world (primary energy definition: the energy harvested directly from natural resources). Canadian energy producers operate under one of the most stringent regulatory regimes globally and are continuously investing in new innovations and developments to improve their environmental footprints.

In short, we should all truly be proud of our world-class energy sector. And there’s lots more to learn! Check out these several facts on energy in Canada and be amazed at how much of an energy powerhouse our country is!

General Canadian Energy Facts

#1 - Canada was the sixth largest producer of primary energy production in the world in 2018, behind China (1), the U.S. (2), Russia (3), Saudi Arabia (4) and India (5) (NRC)

#2 - Canada exported $134.3 billion worth of energy to global consumers in 2019, accounting for 23% of total Canadian goods exports

#3 - Canada produced 32% more primary energy in 2018 than it did in 2005. The world, on average, increased energy production by 25% during the same period.

#4 - Canada’s energy sector accounted for 10.2% of nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019, adding $219 billion to the economy

• Direct (7.2%) - $154 billion – Petroleum (5.3%), Electricity (1.7%), Other (0.2%)

• Indirect (3.0%) - $65 billion

#5 - Canada’s energy sector’s share of taxes paid by all industries was 7.4% between 2014-2018

#6 - 832,500 people are either directly or indirectly employed by the energy sector in Canada, accounting for 4.4% of total employment in the country (2019)

• Direct – 282,000 jobs

• Indirect – 550,500 jobs

#7 - Fossil fuels accounted for 75% of Canada’s total primary energy supply in 2018, with nuclear accounting for 8%, hydro 11%, biofuels and waste 4% and other renewables 1%

#8 - Roughly 14,350 Indigenous people living off-reserve are directly employed in the energy sector

#9 - Capital expenditures in Canada’s energy sector totalled $70 billion in 2019, 40% lower from peak levels in 2014

#10 - Canada’s total energy assets are valued at $685 billion, with $233 billion of that allocated in regions across the world

#11 - Canada’s energy sector spent roughly $1.5 billion on research and development in 2017, a slight drop from the $1.6 billion in 2016

#12 - Canadian governments spent nearly $1.16 billion on research and development in 2018/19

#13 - Canadian households spent an average of $4,821 on energy in 2017

Canadian Energy & the Environment

#14 - In 2018, 82% of electricity in Canada came from non-GHG emitting sources such as hydro (60%), nuclear (15%) and other forms of renewable energy (7%)

#15 - Between 2000-2018, emissions from electricity production in Canada decreased by 50%

#16 - Between 2000-2018, Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per dollar of GDP decreased by 31%

#17 - Between 2000-2018, Canada’s GHG emissions per capita dropped by 20%

#18 - Due to technological and operational efficiency improvements, oil sands emissions intensities per barrel have decreased by 36% between 2000-2018

#19 - Canada’s total electricity emissions decreased by 46% from 2000-2018 due to increased generation from non-emitting sources such as renewables and nuclear

#20 - Canadian energy efficiency improved by 31% between 1990 and 2017

Canadian Fossil Fuel Energy Facts

#21 - Canada is home to the third-largest proven reserves of oil in the world, or roughly 10% of global reserves

#22 - Canada is the fourth-largest producer and exporter of oil globally, accounting for 6% of world production in 2019

#23 - 97% of Canada’s proven oil reserves are located in the oil sands

#24 - The oil sands accounted for 63% of Canada’s oil production in 2019, or 2.9 million barrels per day of a total of

#25 - Canada exported more than $122 billion of oil and gas products in 2019, 96% of which went to the United States

#26 - Oil and gas exports represented 1/5^th of Canada’s total exports in 2019

#27 - Canada imported $47.5 billion of oil and gas products in 2019, accounting for 8% of total Canadian goods imports

#28 - Canada exported energy products to 141 nations worldwide in 2019, with the U.S. accounting for 90% of all energy exports by value – at $121.5 billion

#29 - Canada imported energy products from 117 nations worldwide in 2019, 74% of which came from the U.S. – at $35 billion

#30 - From 2014-2018, Canadian governments received an average of $14 billion in generated revenues from the oil and gas industry, including $11 billion from upstream oil and gas extraction and its support activities.

#31 - Canada’s oil and gas sector employed 599,000 people in 2019, approximately 10,000 of whom identify as Indigenous Peoples

#32 - Canada is home to the 17^th largest reserves of natural gas in the world

#33 - Canada is home to the fifth-largest unproved but technically recoverable shale natural gas reserves in the world

#34 - Canada is the fourth-largest producer and sixth largest exporter of natural gas globally (2018)

#35 - 45% of Canada’s natural gas production is exported to the U.S.

#36 - Canada’s total natural gas exports were worth $4.9 billion in 2019

#37 - Canada is home to the 16^th largest coal reserves in the world

#38 - Canada is the 13^th largest producer and 7^th largest exporter of coal globally (2018)

#39 - Canada’s total refining capacity is approximately 1.9 million barrels of oil per day spread out across 15 refineries

• 4 in Alberta, 2 in B.C., 1 in New Brunswick, 1 in Newfoundland & Labrador, 4 in Ontario, 2 in Quebec, 1 in Saskatchewan

Canadian Renewable Energy Facts

#40 - Canada is the seventh-largest producer of Renewable energy in the world (2018)

#41 - Canada gets 16.3% of its total energy supply from renewable sources, higher than the world’s average of 13.4% and OECD countries average of 10.5%

#42 - Environmental and clean technology contributed $66 billion to Canada’s economy in 2018, about 3.2% of total GDP

#43 - Environmental and clean technology supported 317,000 jobs across Canada in 2018, or 1.7% of jobs in the Canadian economy

#44 - Environmental and clean technology accounted for $13.6 billion of exports in 2018

#45 - Compared to the world’s top four electricity-generating countries in the world, Canada gets a much larger share of its total power supply (82%) from non-emitting sources

• Russia – 36%, U.S. – 34%, China – 28%, India – 19%

#46 - Renewable electricity generation in Canada has increased by 16% between 2010 and 2018, with wind and solar seeing the largest growth

#47 - Canada is home to the eighth-largest capacity of wind power in the world (2019)

#48 - Canada’s total wind power generation capacity has grown from 1,552 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2005 to 32,855 GWh in 2018

#49 - Canada’s total solar power generation capacity has grown from 17 GWh in 2005 to 3,796 GWh in 2018

#50 - Investment into Canadian wind power totalled $5.6 billion from 2015 to 2019

#51 - Investment into Canadian solar power totalled $2.5 billion from 2015 to 2019

#52 - Canada has the third-largest capacity of hydroelectricity in the world and is also the third-largest producer (2018)

#53 - Canada gets roughly 60% of its total power supply from hydro generation

#54 - In 2019, there were 518 hydro facilities with a capacity of at least 1 megawatt (MW) and 45 facilities with a capacity less than 1 MW, totalling 563 facilities across Canada

#55 - Canada is home to the eighth-largest biofuel production capacity in the world (2019)

#56 - Biomass accounts for 23% of Canada’s renewable energy production

#57 - In 2018, Canada had 36 operational co-generation units and pulp and paper mills and 41 independent power providers using biomass

Canadian Nuclear Energy Facts

#58 - Canada is home to the third-largest proven uranium reserves, accounting for roughly 8% of global supply in 2019

#59 - Canada is the second-largest producer and fourth-largest exporter of uranium globally (2018)

#60 - Canada’s uranium exports are worth roughly $800 million annually

#61 - Canada is the sixth-largest producer of nuclear power generation in the world (2019)

#62 - All of Canada’s uranium comes from high-quality mines in Saskatchewan

#63 - 25% of Canada’s uranium production is used in domestic CANDU reactors found in Ontario and New Brunswick, including the Bruce Generating Station, the world’s largest operating nuclear facility

#64 - 10 CANDU nuclear reactors are in operation outside of Canada in countries including Argentina, India, South Korea and Pakistan to name a few

#65 - Canada exports 75% of its total uranium production, with Asia (42%), the Americas (33%) and Europe (25%) accounting for those exports

#66 - 21% of uranium purchased by U.S. nuclear reactors in 2019 came from Canada, making Canada the largest foreign supplier of uranium to the U.S.

Sources: Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada

Canada is a Global Energy Leader

Do you want to know more about energy in Canada? Are you interested in having balanced and fact-based discussions around oil, natural gas, nuclear, renewables and everything in between?

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