Natural gas use in Alberta’s oil sands has been very strong this summer and running well above the top end of the five-year range (blue line in chart below). Using data from RBN’s Canadian NatGas Billboard gas use in the oil sands reached a high of 3.11 Bcf/d for a few days in late July and again for a single day in mid-August (red text and arrows). The increase from lows in the spring and a brief down spike (black dashed rectangle) when wildfires briefly curtailed bitumen output at a few production sites in late May (see our Analyst Insights of June 2 and June 10), has coincided with record bitumen production from the oil sands in July of 2.31 MMb/d based on data from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER).
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Oil Sands Gas Demand Nearing Seasonal Lows
Oil sands gas demand is undergoing its typical seasonal decline during April and May but is still at record highs for this time of year.
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Gas use in the oil sands has rebounded from a late May low created by a temporary shut down of some oil sands bitumen production sites.
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Oil Sands Gas Demand Setting Seasonal Records, Suggesting Record Bitumen Production
Alberta's oil sands have been using seasonal record amounts of natural gas so far in 2025, pointing to the likelihood of record bitumen output from the oil sands.
