Crude oil and natural gas: Supply and disposition, October 2017
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: 2018-01-12
Canada produced 20.3 million cubic metres (127.9 million barrels) of crude oil and equivalent products in October, up 1.5% from October 2016. October 2017 marks the 13th consecutive month with a year-over-year increase.
Crude oil production
Increased production of non-upgraded crude bitumen (+9.3%) and light and medium crude oil (+5.1%) were offset by declines in synthetic (-18.7%) and heavy (-2.1%) crude oil in October. The sizeable reduction in synthetic crude oil production was largely due to the temporary shutdown of an Alberta facility for planned maintenance.
Chart 1
Production of crude oil and equivalent products
Production of conventional and non-conventional crude oil
Crude oil production (excluding equivalent products) totalled 18.6 million cubic metres in October. Non-conventional crude oil production, which consists of non-upgraded crude bitumen and synthetic crude oil, was down 2.5% from October 2016 to 12.7 million cubic metres. This marked the first year-over-year decrease for non-conventional crude oil production since August 2016.
Meanwhile, conventional production of light, medium and heavy crude oils increased 2.7% compared with October 2016, to 6.0 million cubic metres.
Chart 2
Production of conventional and non-conventional crude oil
Provincial production
Alberta produced 16.4 million cubic metres of crude oil and equivalent products, up 1.8% from October 2016, and accounted for 80.5% of total Canadian production. Saskatchewan (11.8%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (5.3%) were also key contributors.
Refinery use of crude oil
Input of crude oil to Canadian refineries totalled 8.3 million cubic metres in October, up 23.0% from the same month a year earlier. Conventional crude oil accounted for 66.9% of the total, while non-conventional crude oil represented the remaining 33.1%. Light and medium crude oil (4.5 million cubic metres) and synthetic crude oil (2.3 million cubic metres) were the main types of crude oil used by Canadian refineries.
Exports and imports
Exports of crude oil and equivalent products were up 6.1% compared with the same month in 2016, to 16.2 million cubic metres in October.
Imports to Canadian refineries, which tend to be volatile, were up 24.9% to 2.7 million cubic metres.
Chart 3
Exports and imports of crude oil and equivalent products
Closing inventories
Year over year, closing inventories of crude oil and equivalent products were down 7.6% to 17.7 million cubic metres in October. The total was comprised of transporters (11.6 million cubic metres), refineries (3.6 million cubic metres) and fields and plants (2.5 million cubic metres).
Natural gas production
Marketable natural gas production in Canada totalled 14.2 billion cubic metres in October, up 6.3% from the same month in 2016. Alberta (73.0%) and British Columbia (24.6%) accounted for the vast majority of Canadian production.
Additional information on natural gas is available in "Natural gas transmission, storage and distribution," published in The Daily on December 15, 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 document 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 August and September 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).
- Date modified: