In February 2022, primary energy production in Canada increased 3.2% to 1.8 million terajoules compared with February 2021, following two consecutive months of declines. Despite the increase, primary energy production was 3.3% below February 2020 levels, the last pre-COVID-19 pandemic month in Canada.
Production of natural gas advanced 9.2% and crude oil increased 4.5%, compared with February 2021. Electricity production also increased a modest 0.4% in February.
Secondary energy production was up 5.4% year over year to 402.1 million terajoules in February, as the refined petroleum products sector continued to improve output (+7.5%).
Crude oil exports rose 3.5% compared with February 2021. The increase contributed to a 4.6% rise in total exports of primary energy, up to 1.1 million terajoules. Meanwhile, total exports of secondary energy fell 10.2% to 77.5 thousand terajoules.
Geopolitical conflict, economic uncertainty, supply constraints and inflationary pressures dominated the global energy market in the first couple of months of 2022. Industrial prices for some energy products spiked in February, as uncertainty surrounding European access to stable global oil and natural gas supplies persisted as Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Meanwhile, several provincial governments began to ease COVID-19-based restrictions in February to support businesses and to restore some state of pre-pandemic normalcy in day-to-day life, despite the ongoing prevalence of the Omicron variant.
For more information on energy in Canada, including production, consumption, international trade and much more, please visit the Canadian Centre for Energy Information website and follow #energynews on social media.
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