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Crude oil and natural gas: Supply and disposition, August 2017

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Released: 2017-11-09

Canada produced 21.5 million cubic metres (135.3 million barrels) of crude oil and equivalent products in August. This was the highest level of production of crude oil and equivalent products on record, surpassing the previous high of 21.2 million cubic metres (133.4 million barrels) reported in January 2017.

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

Crude oil production

Production of crude oil and equivalent products in August was up 8.0% from the same month a year earlier. The increase was largely attributable to non-upgraded production of crude bitumen, up 12.6% to 8.5 million cubic metres. This was the highest level of non-upgraded production of crude oil on record, due in part to one upgrader returning to production levels prior to maintenance and a fire in the spring of 2017. Also up in August were the production of synthetic crude oil (+11.4%) and heavy crude oil (+1.5%). Meanwhile, light and medium crude oil production decreased 3.8% to 3.7 million cubic metres.

The rise in non-upgraded crude bitumen was driven by increases of both in-situ production (+10.2%) and mined production (+15.1%). Crude bitumen sent for further processing rose 12.3% to 6.6 million cubic metres.

Production of conventional and non-conventional crude oil

Crude oil production (excluding equivalent products) totalled 20.0 million cubic metres in August. Non-conventional crude oil production, which consists of non-upgraded crude bitumen and synthetic crude oil, increased 12.1% to 14.3 million cubic metres from the same month a year earlier. This was the 12th consecutive year-over-year increase for non-conventional crude oil production.

Meanwhile, conventional crude production of light, medium and heavy crude oils declined 2.0% year over year to 5.7 million cubic metres in August.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Production of conventional and non-conventional crude oil
Production of conventional and non-conventional crude oil

Provincial production

Alberta produced 17.8 million cubic metres of crude oil and equivalent products, up 11.1% from August 2016, and accounting for 82.5% of total Canadian production. Saskatchewan (11.2%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (4.0%) were also key contributors.

Refinery use of crude oil

Input of crude oil to Canadian refineries totalled 9.0 million cubic metres in August, up 5.1% from the same month in 2016. Conventional crude oil accounted for 64.6% of the total, while non-conventional represented the remainder. Light and medium crude oil (4.7 million cubic metres) and synthetic crude oil (2.6 million cubic metres) were the main types of crude oil used by Canadian refineries.

Exports and imports

Exports of crude oil and equivalent products rose 2.8% to 16.0 million cubic metres compared with August 2016. Exports by pipeline to the United States accounted for the majority of total exports (92.0%), while 6.2% went to the US by rail, marine and truck. The remaining 1.8% of exports went to countries other than the United States.

Meanwhile, imports to Canadian refineries were down 33.5% to 2.1 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

Closing inventories

Closing inventories of crude oil and equivalent products were down 1.1% year over year to 18.2 million cubic metres in August. The inventory total consisted of products held by transporters (11.8 million cubic metres), refineries (3.6 million cubic metres) and fields and plants (2.8 million cubic metres).

Natural gas production

Marketable natural gas production in Canada totalled 13.6 billion cubic metres in August, down 0.8% from the same month a year earlier. Alberta (73.8%) and British Columbia (24.0%) accounted for most of Canadian production.

Additional information on natural gas is available in "Natural gas transmission, storage and distribution," published in The Daily on October 23, 2017.

  Note to readers

As of the March 2016 reference month, content and methodology changes were made to the Monthly Oil and Other Liquid Petroleum Products Pipeline Survey. For more information, consult the 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 data with those of the new CANSIM table.

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 from November 2016 to July 2017 have been revised.

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 respondents' data.

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

Total marketable gas includes receipts from fields, gas gathering systems and/or gas plants.

The crude oil and natural gas supply and disposition program uses respondent data as well as administrative data provided by federal, provincial and territorial authorities with regulatory responsibilities 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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