A bit of data regarding energy in Eastern Canada (Mousseau)

This short review of energy in Eastern Canada contains the following information:

1. A national view
2. Primary energy production
3. Interprovincial electricity trading
4. Electricity generation
5. Energy use - per energy type
6. Energy use - per sector

It is mostly based on a few reports from Statistics Canada and the National Energy Board so there is nothing new for those of you who know Canada’s energy situation well but it offers a common background on basic information.

Should you want to add any data, just let me know and I will do so (Normand).

A pdf version of the document is also available here:

A national view

In 2012 (the latest available data from Statistics Canada), primary energy production reached 17 300 PJ with almost 60 % of it (11 200 PJ) being exported, mostly to the USA.

Of this, 43 % was crude oil, 35 %, natural gaz, 10 % primary electricity, 9 % coal and gas plan natural gas liquids, almost 4 %.

More precisely, Canada exported almost three quarters of its crude oil production (73,5%), three fifths of its natural gas (56,5 %) and a quarter of its refined petroleum products (23,3 %).

Imports where much smaller, 3 700 PJ, of which almost half represented crude oil, a third natural gas (32,7 %), a bit more than 10 percent refined petroleum products (13,4) and coal (7,4 %). These products represent 98 % of all energy-related imports.

Looking at energy consumption, Canada consumed 8 200 PJ in 2012, a slight increase from 2011 (0,6 %). Refined petroleum products represented 38 % of energy consumption followed by natural gas (31 %) and primary electricity (23 %), which includes both hydroelectricity and nuclear.

Now, let us look in more details at the various numbers.

Primary energy production

Canada, we all know, is a major non-renewable and renewable energy producer as is obvious from the table below

These two productions are unequal on two fronts:
1. Primary electricity represents only 14 % of total energy production in Canada, more than 85 % of the energy production is therefore from non-renewable fossil fuels.
2. Ressources are not equally distributed across the country. Coal, natural gas and crude oil production, for example, is mostly restricted to Western Canada, with 94 % of the national production while primary electricity is produced at 85 % in Eastern Canada.

Source: Report on Energy Supply and Demand in Canada; 2012 data.
Note: Primary electricity includes hydro, nuclear and renewables

Electricity generation

Source: Report on Energy Supply and Demand in Canada; 2012 data.

Energy use - per energy type

The following table presents energy use by type as well as the total energy use per capita.

Energy use - per sector

Now, we can look at the energy use by sector (total, percent or per capita). We first note that there are significant differences between the provinces and with respect to the national level.

Identifying the energy consumption by sector is important in order to devise the proper energy policies and to see how these could be drawn on a regional rather than on a per province basis.

Source: Report on Energy Supply and Demand in Canada; 2012 data.

In terms of percentages of total energy use, we note that, at the national level, the consumption is divided equally between industrial, transportation and the rest. Well generally less energy intensive industries, transportation plays a larger relative role in the Est, with the exception of Quebec, ranging from 35 to 45 % of all energy consumed.

Source: Report on Energy Supply and Demand in Canada; 2012 data.

Interprovincial electricity trading

To discuss a possible common energy policy between Eastern Canada, it is useful to look at the current interprovincial capacities as well as the current actual trading.

In 2012, total international trading between Canada and the USA (57,9 TWh exports plus 10,9 TWh imports) was 68,7 TWh. The same year, interprovincial trading was about 21 TWh (exports or imports) excluding 31,4 GWh for Churchill Falls, less than a third of the trade with our Southern neighbour. Without surprise, exporting provinces are all major hydroelectric producers, allowing them to compete on the price with other energy sources.

Source: Statistics Canada - Table 127–0008 Supply and disposition of electric power, electric utilities and industry

Are the interconnections well used? Here is the maximum export and import capacities both in terms of power and supposing a maximum use of the network during the whole year for Québec and the Maritime provinces.