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Crude oil and natural gas: Supply and disposition, March 2016

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Released: 2016-06-15

Canada produced 19.5 million cubic metres (122.6 million barrels) of crude oil and equivalent products in March, up 0.2% compared with the same month in 2015.

(The surveys that provide estimates for this release were recently redesigned. For more information, see note to readers.)

Chart 1  Chart 1: Production of crude oil and equivalent products
Production of crude oil and equivalent products

Production of crude bitumen rises

The increase in the production of crude oil and equivalent products was mainly attributable to crude bitumen, up 12.9% to 7.3 million cubic metres. Crude bitumen production has been trending upward since late 2009.

Offsetting the gain in production of crude bitumen in March were synthetic crude oil, down 7.6% to 4.9 million cubic metres; light and medium crude oil, down 9.5% to 4.0 million cubic metres; and heavy crude oil, down 9.2% to 2.0 million cubic metres.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Production of crude oil and equivalent products by type of product
Production of crude oil and equivalent products by type of product

Alberta accounted for 79.8% of Canada's total production of crude oil and equivalent products in March. Crude oil and equivalent production in Alberta totalled 15.6 million cubic metres, an increase of 0.7% from the same month in 2015.

Exports and imports

Exports of crude oil and equivalent products totalled 15.5 million cubic metres in March, up 6.6% from the same month the previous year. Meanwhile, imports to Canadian refineries decreased 6.5% to 2.7 million cubic metres.

Chart 3  Chart 3: Exports and imports of crude oil and equivalent products
Exports and imports of crude oil and equivalent products

Inventories

Closing inventories of crude oil and equivalent products totalled 18.7 million cubic metres in March. Closing inventories from transporters (pipeline companies) were 12.2 million cubic metres, while closing inventories from fields and plants were 2.4 million cubic metres. Inventories held at refineries were 4.1 million cubic metres in March. This release marks the first time inventories included those held at refineries.

Natural gas

Canadian marketable production of natural gas was 13.8 billion cubic metres in March.

The monthly release on natural gas has been redesigned. Additional information on natural gas is available in "Natural gas transmission, storage and distribution," published in The Daily on May 24, 2016.

  Note to readers

As part of Statistics Canada's Integrated Business Statistics Program, the surveys that supply estimates to the crude oil and natural gas supply and disposition program have changed. As of the March 2016 reference month, content and methodology changes were made to the Monthly Oil and Other Liquid Petroleum Products Pipeline Survey to provide readers with more detailed industry data.

For more information, please consult Monthly Oil and Other Liquid Petroleum Products Pipeline Survey.

Data on crude oil and equivalent products, previously found in CANSIM table 126-0001, are now published in CANSIM table 126-0003. While CANSIM table 126-0001 will remain available for reference, users should exercise caution when comparing estimates with those of the new CANSIM table.

As of the March 2016 reference month, information on the disposition of crude oil and equivalent products to refineries by province and on exports to the United States by district were discontinued. New data on imports, exports, input to Canadian refineries and inventories were added to CANSIM table 126-0003.

Data on crude oil and equivalent products in this release are expressed in cubic metres, while data in CANSIM are available in both cubic metres and barrels.

Data are subject to revision.

Crude oil and equivalent products include heavy, light and medium crude oil, synthetic crude oil, crude bitumen, condensate, and pentanes plus.

Export data are a combination of National Energy Board data and survey data reported by respondents.

Import data include imports of crude oil by refineries and by others.

Total marketable gas includes gas received from fields and processing or reprocessing plants after re-injection, field uses, processing plant and reprocessing plant shrinkage, plant use, and losses have been deducted.

The Crude Oil and Natural Gas survey uses respondent data as well as administrative data provided by federal, provincial and territorial authorities responsible for the regulation of crude oil and natural gas production within their respective jurisdictions.

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; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).

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