Market Data – Power Generation Statistics
Canada generated 48.7 million megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity in October 2013, up 1.1% from the same period in 2012. The increase was led by gains in hydro (+2.1%) and nuclear power (+3.1%) generation. Combined, the two sources represented 78.9% of total power generation. Canadian demand for electricity rose 0.6% to 44.9 million MWh. Exports to the United States rose 11.5% to 4.8 million MWh. Read on for key provincial figures.
Canada generated 48.7 million megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity in October 2013, up 1.1% from the same period in 2012. The increase was led by gains in hydro (+2.1%) and nuclear power (+3.1%) generation. Combined, the two sources represented 78.9% of total power generation. Canadian demand for electricity rose 0.6% to 44.9 million MWh. Exports to the US rose 11.5% to 4.8 million MWh. Read on for key provincial figures.
Ontario posted the largest gain among the provinces, producing 12.2 million MWh of electricity in October, up 5.3% from the same month a year earlier. Nuclear (+5.2%) and hydro (+19.4%) power generation continued to rise as a result of capital improvements made in late 2012. Ontario’s decommissioning of coal-fired power plants helped fuel a 28.3% decrease in conventional steam power generation. Five years ago, conventional steam power generation represented more than 14% of the province’s total electric power production. It accounted for 3.3% in October.
Manitoba produced 3.1 million MWh of electricity in October, up 23.2% from the same month in 2012. Increased capacity and higher water levels led to a 24.5% rise in hydro power generation. Much of the gain in power generation led to larger exports to the US, which rose 79.5% to 1.1 million MWh.
Increased hydro production helped push total electricity generation for British Columbia up 3.2% in October to 5.7 million MWh. However, demand outstripped production, topping 6.2 million MWh in October. To meet this demand, British Columbia imported 0.8 million MWh of electricity from the US.
