Alberta is a major Canadian energy producer across oil, bitumen, natural gas and electricity. In 2024, the province produced 193 million barrels of crude oil, 1.30 billion barrels of bitumen, 4.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 8.4 million tons of coal. Its electricity system had 23,122 MW of installed generation capacity and 88,827 GWh of internal load. These figures come from the Alberta Energy Regulator, the Alberta System Electric Operator, Alberta’s emissions inventory and federal reporting sources.
Alberta energy statistics at a glance
- Crude oil production: 193 million barrels in 2024 (Alberta Energy Regulator)
- Bitumen production: 1.30 billion barrels in 2024 (Alberta Energy Regulator)
- Natural gas production: 4.1 trillion cubic feet in 2024 (Alberta Energy Regulator)
- Electricity internal load: 88,827 GWh in 2024 (AESO 2024 Annual Market Statistics)
- Installed generation capacity: 23,122 MW at the end of 2024 (AESO 2024 Annual Market Statistics)
- Total greenhouse-gas emissions: 260.1 Mt CO₂e in 2024 (Alberta’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction performance)
Contents
- Oil, bitumen, gas and coal production
- Investment and production outlook
- Electricity demand and generation mix
- Wind and solar performance
- Prices, trade and reliability
- Emissions and emissions intensity
Oil, bitumen, gas and coal production
The Alberta Energy Regulator reported 193 million barrels of crude oil production in 2024. Bitumen production was 1.30 billion barrels, making bitumen the larger of the two reported liquid-fuel measures. The same source reported 4.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, including coalbed methane and shale gas, and 8.4 million tons of coal. Alberta had eight operating oil sands mines in 2024. These are production totals for the stated calendar year, not forecasts.
The regulator also reported that Alberta produced more than 60% of Canada’s natural gas in 2023. Alberta produced almost 85% of Canada’s oil equivalent, including bitumen, in that year, while bitumen accounted for 66% of Canada’s total oil-equivalent production. Those shares describe Alberta’s position within Canada and should not be read as measures of Alberta’s percentage change between 2023 and 2024.
| Measure | Alberta result | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Crude oil | 193 million barrels | 2024 |
| Bitumen | 1.30 billion barrels | 2024 |
| Natural gas | 4.1 trillion cubic feet | 2024 |
| Coal | 8.4 million tons | 2024 |
| Operating oil sands mines | 8 | 2024 |
Source labels: Our Role as Regulator and Alberta Energy Regulator News Release 2024-06-24.
Investment and production outlook
Capital expenditures for Alberta crude oil, natural gas, oil sands and emerging resources reached $29.5 billion in 2023, according to the Budget 2024 Fiscal Plan 2024-27. The fiscal plan forecast Alberta oil and gas investment to increase 7.4%, or $2.4 billion, in 2024. This is a forecast and is not an actual reported investment result.
The same fiscal plan forecast average Alberta oil production of nearly 3.9 million barrels per day in 2024. That forecast was more than 103,000 barrels per day above 2023 production. It also expected oil production to grow by 2–3% annually and exceed 4.2 million barrels per day by 2027. The 2024 and 2027 figures are forecasts from the 2024 fiscal plan, so they should be kept separate from measured production totals.
For the 2023–24 fiscal year, Alberta’s actuals included 511,000 barrels per day of conventional crude oil, 3.333 million barrels per day of raw bitumen and 4,267 billion cubic feet of natural gas. These fiscal-year measures use a different period from calendar-year production statistics. The distinctions matter when comparing the Alberta Energy Regulator’s 2024 calendar-year figures with the fiscal plan’s actuals and outlook.
Electricity demand and generation mix
The AESO 2024 Annual Market Statistics recorded Alberta Internal Load of 88,827 GWh in 2024. Average internal load was 10,112 MW, while maximum internal load reached 12,384 MW and minimum internal load was 8,166 MW. The reported internal-load factor was 81.7%.
Installed generation capacity increased 11.3% to 23,122 MW by the end of 2024. Alberta added 2,345 MW of installed generation capacity during the year. Gas-fired generation supplied 74.7% of total generation. Wind, solar and hydro together supplied 19% of generation. By July 2024, the remaining 1,286 MW of coal and dual-fuel generation capacity had been converted to natural gas.
These figures describe different aspects of the system: internal load measures electricity used within Alberta, installed capacity measures the rated capacity of generating assets, and generation shares describe electricity produced over the year. Capacity and annual output therefore should not be treated as interchangeable measures.
Wind and solar performance
Alberta had 5,688 MW of installed wind capacity at the end of 2024, and wind generation totaled 12,797 GWh. Wind supplied 14% of average Alberta Internal Load and reached 42% at its maximum hourly contribution. The average wind capacity factor was 30%.
Wind capacity and output were concentrated in the central and southern regions reported by AESO. Central Alberta had 1,460 MW of installed wind capacity and 2,289 GWh of wind generation. Southern Alberta had 4,228 MW of installed wind capacity and 7,995 GWh of wind generation. The Alberta wind fleet achieved an average price of $33.41 per MWh in 2024.
Solar capacity was 1,812 MW at the end of 2024, with solar generation of 2,882 GWh. Solar supplied 3% of average Alberta Internal Load and reached 15% at its maximum hourly contribution. Its average hourly solar capacity factor was 20%.
| Renewable measure | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|
| Installed capacity at end of 2024 | 5,688 MW | 1,812 MW |
| 2024 generation | 12,797 GWh | 2,882 GWh |
| Share of average internal load | 14% | 3% |
| Maximum hourly contribution | 42% | 15% |
| Average capacity factor | 30% | 20% |
AESO’s generation statistics cover assets larger than 5 MW where the report specifies that scope. Solar micro-generation above 300 MW is excluded from the AESO solar figures. This scope limitation means the solar totals should be read as the report defines them, rather than as a complete measure of every possible small-scale solar installation.
Prices, trade and reliability
Alberta’s average electricity pool price fell 53%, from $133.63 per MWh in 2023 to $62.78 per MWh in 2024. The average natural-gas price fell 49% to $1.30 per GJ in 2024. Total operating-reserve cost fell 28% to $271 million, while standby operating-reserve cost fell 64% to $16 million. All four price and cost comparisons are reported by AESO for the stated periods.
Average electricity exports were 343 MW and average imports were 132 MW in 2024. Alberta was a net exporter to the WECC region during 67% of hours. It was a net importer from Saskatchewan, with flows at zero for 49% of the year. These regional results show that Alberta’s interconnection position varied by neighboring market and by hour.
AESO recorded 289 supply-surplus-event hours in 2024, equal to 3.3% of the year. The province issued eight grid alerts. One event included up to 250 MW of load shed for 27 minutes. Supply-surplus hours, grid alerts and load-shed duration are separate reliability indicators; one should not be substituted for another.
Emissions and emissions intensity
Alberta’s total greenhouse-gas emissions were 260.1 Mt CO₂e in 2024, down from 288.6 Mt CO₂e in 2015. The Alberta greenhouse-gas emissions reduction performance inventory attributed 85.13 Mt CO₂e, or 32.73% of provincial emissions, to oil sands mining, in-situ production and upgrading in 2024. Natural-gas production and processing accounted for 39.16 Mt CO₂e, or 15.05%.
The electricity sector emitted 17.36 Mt CO₂e in 2024. Electricity emissions declined 58% from 2015 to 2024, a reduction of 24.0 Mt CO₂e. Alberta’s electricity-grid emissions intensity fell from 907 to 335 grams CO₂e per kWh between 2005 and 2024. Transportation emissions were 23.4 Mt CO₂e in 2024.
Other official inventories use different scopes. The federal Changing Climate Report, Chapter 9 recorded 263 Mt CO₂e of Alberta total greenhouse-gas emissions and 56.1 tonnes CO₂e per person in 2023. The federal facility greenhouse-gas reporting overview reported 152,898 kt CO₂e from Alberta facilities, equal to 53% of Canada’s facility-reported emissions, in 2023. Alberta and federal inventories should not be compared as interchangeable totals.
In 2024, Alberta priced 164.7 Mt of emissions under the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction system, or 63.3% of provincial emissions. The figures above retain each source’s measurement period, unit and scope. Energy data can be revised, as Statistics Canada notes in its electricity supply and disposition reporting.