Regional energy statistics that may surprise
As the world’s sixth-largest producer of energy and its third- largest per capita user, Canadians rely on natural resources to meet lifestyle and economic needs. The energy system is a web of oil and natural gas pipelines, transmissions lines and generating facilities that power the nation and send exports to our U. S. neighbours. Digging deeper into where energy comes from and how it is used reveals a host of facts and regional differences that may come as a surprise to many.
While oil is bountiful in the West, Eastern Canada imports about 700,000 barrels per day from the North Sea, Africa and other sources. That’s because the major pipelines that transport oil from the oil-producing provinces in the west to the east end at Westover, Ont. Plans are currently underway to connect Eastern Canadian refineries to Western Canadian crude oil supplies.
For more than 100 years, water has accounted for more than 60% of Canada’s electricity generation. Hydroelectric facilities in British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec provide almost all of the electricity used by each of these provinces. In Nova Scotia, the world’s first commercial tidal generating station is now producing 20 megawatts of power.
There are billions of cubic metres of natural gas below Inuvik, N.W.T., but residents of the town have to rely on diesel fuel to generate electricity. That’s because the natural gas well that taps into a small, local natural gas reserve is almost dry, and the pipeline proposal that would have supported new wells being drilled has been put on hold due to low market prices and high construction costs.
Solar power makes up less than 1% of Canada’s energy supply. Most solar projects are small and provide electricity to a single dwelling or a handful of buildings. To help foster small-scale energy production, such as solar power, British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia have opened up their grids to citizens and businesses. Canada’s largest solar farm is in Sarnia, Ont., and can produce 89 megawatts, enough electricity for about 10,000 homes.
With its 588 turbines, Alberta ranks second in installed wind capacity in Canada. Over the next five years the country’s wind energy capability is expected to almost double to 12,000 megawatts.
Using organic material such as household waste, agriculture and forestry byproducts to create energy is a growing trend. Manitoba currently has the capacity to produce 2,240 barrels per day of corn- and wheat-based ethanol.
The magnitude of Canada’s energy system astounded the team at Canadian Geographic magazine as they researched their June feature, ‘13+ things you didn’t know about energy’.
“The biggest ‘aha’ moment came when we sat back and looked at the completed poster map included with the issue,” says Gilles Gagnier, vice-president of content creation. “We could clearly see the southerly flow of our energy, whether hydro from Quebec, natural gas from British Columbia, or oil from Alberta. That was fascinating.”