Crude oil and natural gas: Supply and disposition, April 2016
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Released: 2016-07-13
Canada produced 17.2 million cubic metres (108.3 million barrels) of crude oil and equivalent products in April, down 1.1% 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
Production of crude oil and equivalent products
Production of synthetic crude oil decreases
The decrease in the production of crude oil and equivalent products was mainly attributable to synthetic crude oil, which was down 24.5% to 2.9 million cubic metres, largely as a result of maintenance shutdowns at most oil sands facilities in Alberta. The decline in production preceded the May wildfires in northern Alberta.
Meanwhile, light and medium crude oil (-10.0% to 3.7 million cubic metres) and heavy crude oil production (-8.2% to 1.9 million cubic metres) continued to decline year over year.
Offsetting these losses in April was higher production of non-upgraded crude bitumen, up 18.3% compared with the same month in 2015 to 7.4 million cubic metres. Non-upgraded crude bitumen production has been trending upward since late 2009.
Non-upgraded crude bitumen production in April consisted of mined crude bitumen (4.2 million cubic metres), plus in situ crude bitumen (6.6 million cubic metres), less crude bitumen sent for further processing (3.3 million cubic metres).
Chart 2
Production of crude oil and equivalent products by type of product
Alberta accounted for 78.7% of Canada's total production of crude oil and equivalent products in April. Crude oil and equivalent production in Alberta totalled 13.6 million cubic metres, down 0.7% from the same month in 2015.
Exports and imports
Exports of crude oil and equivalent products totalled 14.1 million cubic metres in April, down 3.8% from April 2015. Meanwhile, imports to Canadian refineries decreased 1.0% to 3.0 million cubic metres.
Chart 3
Exports and imports of crude oil and equivalent products
Inventories
Closing inventories of crude oil and equivalent products totalled 18.3 million cubic metres in April. Closing inventories from transporters (pipeline companies) accounted for 11.9 million cubic metres, while those from fields and plants accounted for 2.5 million cubic metres, and those held at refineries accounted for 3.9 million cubic metres.
Natural gas
Canadian marketable production of natural gas was 12.8 billion cubic metres in April.
Additional information on natural gas is available in "Natural gas transmission, storage and distribution," published in The Daily on June 23, 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).
- Date modified: