Alberta Oil Output Pushes Past Pre-Pandemic High, Grows 86.2% Since 2010

August 17, 2021

Alberta oil production now exceeds its pre-pandemic high, and has increased 86.2% since 2010, according to new data from the Alberta Energy Regulator and ATB Economics.

The lion’s share of the output—86% —comes from the tar sands/oil sands, CBC reports.

In a release last Wednesday, ATB said the province produced an average of 3.53 million barrels per day between January and June, 5.7% more than the same six months last year, and 1.8% above the 2019 figure.

“The amount of oil being exported from Alberta to other provinces, and other countries, is also on the rise—up by 4% over the first half of 2021 compared with the same period the year before, and 1.7% higher than in 2019,” CBC writes.

“On the oilsands side, we’re seeing facilities that have been potentially underutilized over the last two, two and a half years run up on the production capacity,” said Kevin Birn, vice president of Canadian crude oil markets at IHS Markit. “That’s really what’s driving the numbers.”

[Top photo: Wikimedia Commons]