General resources

Each June, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) publishes reserve estimates of:

  • crude bitumen
  • crude oil
  • conventional natural gas
  • coalbed methane
  • natural gas liquids
  • coal
  • Sulphur

The ST 98 Alberta's Energy Reserves Supply/Demand Outlook also forecasts supply and demand for these resources.

Publications

Follow these links for more general information about Alberta’s energy industry:

Fact sheets

Oil and gas royalties in Alberta (royalty calculation)

Upgraders and refineries: facts and stats (refining capacity plus current and upcoming projects)

Pricing fact sheets

Energy Potential and Metrics Study – An Alberta Context (Jacobs Consultancy) was a major energy resource review explaining the creation of heat, electricity and transportation fuels. The study explains energy availability, energy density and the environmental impact of a wide range of energy resources and pathways in Alberta.

Coal and minerals

Coal and mineral development in Alberta year in review (2011 - 2018) annual reports with overviews of coal, metals, and industrial minerals.

Fact sheets and guides

Electricity

Find general information at Electricity and renewable energy. Alberta Energy has been working with electricity stakeholders to meet goals related to climate change.

Market transition

In 2016, the Government of Alberta endorsed an Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) recommendation to move Alberta from an energy market to an energy and capacity market.

In July of 2019 this plan was closed.

Retail market review

The Retail Market Review Committee (RMRC) report, Power for the people (2013). Made 41 recommendations to strengthen the electricity market. The government acted on 2 recommendations, approved 33 in principle and rejected 6.

An implementation team was put in place, their report to the energy minister was Enhancing the retail market for electricity (2014).

Transmission facility costs

In July 2010, the minister of energy established the Transmission Facilities Cost Monitoring Committee to review transmission facility project records about:

  • cost
  • scope
  • schedule
  • variances

The committee reports to the Utilities Consumer Advocate the terms of reference for Ministerial Order 64 are included there with the Transmission Cost Recovery Subcommittee Report (2012) (PDF, 1.3 MB)

Major transmission project cost reviews are also available:

The advanced metering study (2010-2011) measured electricity consumption behaviour, it was a collaboration of:

  • Department of Energy
  • Environment Department (now Alberta Environment and Parks)
  • Alberta Innovates
  • EPCOR
  • ENMAX

In 2012, the AUC approved the Western Alberta Transmission Line (WATL) with new routes and towers to minimize landowner and agricultural impacts.

The Critical transmission review committee was charged with reviewing timing, technology and forecasts in the AESO’s plan for critical transmission infrastructure between Edmonton and Calgary. CTRC also identified appropriate changes to the Electric Statutes Amendment Act, 2009 in their report, Powering our economy: Critical Transmission Review Committee Report. The government’s response was, Investing in the Economy: North-South Corridor Transmission Reinforcement.

In 2009, Stantec was commissioned to produce an Assessment and Analysis of the State-Of-the-Art Electric Transmission Systems with Specific Focus on High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC), Underground or Other New or Developing Technologies then the government responded with the summary of the Electric Transmission Assessment report.

In 2012, the Electric Utilities Amendment Act was passed to ensure that the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) would assess the need for future transmission lines. This would no longer be the responsibility of the provincial cabinet.

Nuclear review

Established in 2008, the Nuclear Power Expert Panel released a nuclear-energy potential report (2009). Nuclear consultation began, a workbook guided the public. Later that year a news release summarized the full Alberta Nuclear Consultation (PDF, 12.1 MB) report.

Alberta’s Electricity Policy Framework: Competitive-Reliable-Sustainable (2005), outlined Alberta's framework, it examined the regulated rate option; short and long-term adequacy; and other inter-related market issues.

Board reports

Service quality and reliability plans (AUC)

Annual market statistics report (AESO)

Fact sheets

Natural gas

The natural gas overview brochure explains production, storage, export and pricing.

The Shale gas potential report (AGS) provides baseline data and information about shale.

Gas royalty information bulletins are published monthly to inform about proposed changes to legislation, regulations or operating procedures. They also provide industry clients with updates regarding reporting requirements for the determination of natural gas royalty.

Flaring and venting of natural gas is part of the hydrocarbon production process, measuring and reporting varies between jurisdictions. The World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) is a collaboration between governments and industry, it uses third-party satellite data to publish national flaring volume estimates. The AER manages flaring and venting for Alberta.

Fact sheets

Oil reports and publications

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) potential (2011-12)

The AER commissioned this technical factor study, economic factors like oil prices and future estimates are not addressed in this study.

The study was completed in 2 phases by Sproule Associates Limited.

Identification of Enhanced Oil Recovery Potential in Alberta – Phase 1 (PDF, 2.3 MB) objectives included:

  • Retrieve information on all EOR schemes in Alberta from the AER’s Reserves Report and other AER and public databases/files
  • Create an inventory of EOR scheme information organized by pertinent characteristics such as geographic area, pool, formation, reservoir properties, scheme type
  • Analyze the inventory of EOR scheme information, focusing on successful EOR operations, existing and emerging trends, and likely short-term EOR prospects
  • Assess the associated potential success factors
  • Write a preliminary report on EOR in Alberta oil pools, containing lessons learned and preliminary findings
  • Create an inventory of existing EOR schemes in Alberta organized by pertinent characteristics
  • Initially assess potential success factors

Identification of Enhanced Oil Recovery Potential in Alberta – Phase 2 (PDF, 37 MB) objectives included:

  • Apply knowledge gained from Phase 1, along with information from literature searches and possible industry interviews. Fully develop criteria for the screening of potential future EOR prospects, considering the various types of possible EOR schemes and technologies
  • Apply screening criteria to all oil pools in Alberta
  • Assess and compile potential incremental recoverable volumes for all oil pools under various EOR technologies
  • Provide a progress update on preliminary findings and adjust the study as necessary
  • Prepare a report on the total findings on existing and future potential EOR in Alberta in written, tabular and graphical formats. The report will include but is not limited to the following information:
    • field and pool name
    • formation
    • EOR type
    • fluid properties
    • reservoir parameters
    • geographic location
    • primary recovery
    • current incremental recovery

The EU Pathway Study: Life Cycle Assessment of Crude Oils in a European Context (Jacobs Consultancy) report covers on the lifecycle assessment of the GHG associated with crude oils used in the European Union.

The report led to Alberta Energy Policy Review Pathway Study 2012 and a number of Public Questions and Comments for EU Pathway Study (revised April 2013).

In 2014, the Alberta government sponsored the report, Toward a Road Map for Mitigating the Rates and Occurrences of Long-Term Wellbore Leakage (PDF, 2.6 MB), the University of Waterloo studied detection and monitor methods for wellbore leakage to offer potential approaches to reduce rates and occurrences.

Conventional default values

In 2013, Natural resources Canada contracted an Independent Assessment of the European Commission’s Fuel Quality Directive’s “Conventional” Default Value (PDF, 1.3 MB) from the International Community Foundation (ICF) International. To analyze the research methodology used to develop the Fuel Quality Directive’s default “conventional” gasoline and diesel GHG intensity values. An Executive summary (PDF, 511 KB) is also available.

Oil sands

The Bitumen Assay Program (BAP) Aggregate Assay Information was a multi-phase project to review bitumen quality. Bitumen assays were generated by Maxxam Analytics, the department aggregated the assays to ensure anonymity. The assays are based on a combination of recovery technologies and oil sands regions.

Quarterly reports are generated for projects and related activities in the oil sands. These reports include government and industry updates and detailed project listings.

Cold heavy oil production with sand (CHOPS) 2002, explores the technical, economic and environmental issues related to CHOPS. It also refers to other new processes and emerging production technologies to expand or prolong production in Alberta.

The Alberta Energy Oil Sands Production Profile: 2004 – 2014 report gives a detailed overview of oil production volumes and extraction technologies. It covers the years 2004 to 2014.

Alberta Energy commissioned CANATEC Associates International Limited to produce An Arctic Energy Gateway for Alberta, 2014. They were to examine the technical feasibility of producers transporting bitumen blend from the oil sands north to the Beaufort Sea coastline. The bitumen blend would go from there to world markets in the Asia-Pacific region and the Atlantic coasts.

Note: The views, conclusions and comments expressed in the report are those of the authors and may not reflect policies, positions or views of the Government of Alberta. The Government of Alberta does not endorse, authorize, certify, maintain or control the content of the report. The Government of Alberta is not liable for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of this information.

Maps

Alberta's Oil Sands Leased Area (PDF, 2.7 MB) 2018 shows the total oil sands areas and percentage of the area under lease.

AER Designated Oil Sands Area (PDF, 1.8 MB) 2017 shows the designated oil sands areas with the related Deeper Rights Reversion Zone Designation (DRRZD).

The Oil Sands Royalty Projects Map was developed in 2017 when Alberta Energy began publishing in-depth, oil sands royalty project information on an individual-project basis.

The new Oil Sands Royalty Projects Map is limited to oil sands royalty project information only.

View related information on oil sands projects at:

Fact sheets

Unconventional resources

Read the following publications and fact sheets about unconventional resources in Alberta:

Contact

Connect with Alberta Energy reception:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-8050 (Edmonton)
Phone: 403-297-8955 (Calgary)
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Fax: 780-422- 9522

Address:

Alberta Energy
Petroleum Plaza, North Tower
7th Floor, 9945 108 Street
Edmonton, Alberta  T5K 2G6

Alberta Energy
300, 801 6 Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta  T2P 3W2