From its towering downtown offices, Calgary orchestrates an energy empire that pumps out over 5 million barrels of oil equivalent daily, directly fuels a quarter-million local jobs, and anchors an economic powerhouse contributing over $75 billion annually to Canada's GDP.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Alberta's crude oil production, with Calgary as the operational hub, reached 3.7 million barrels per day
- Calgary-headquartered companies accounted for 85% of Western Canada oil sands production at 3.2 million barrels per day in Q4 2022
- Natural gas production from Calgary-based firms in Alberta hit 12.5 billion cubic feet per day in 2023
- Calgary employed 140,000 in oil and gas in 2022
- Oil sands workforce from Calgary offices: 65,000 direct jobs in 2023
- Average salary in Calgary energy sector: CAD 120,000 in 2022
- Oil gas GDP contribution Calgary: CAD 75 billion in 2022
- Calgary energy exports value: CAD 120 billion in 2023
- Tax revenues from Calgary oil gas: CAD 15 billion provincial in 2022
- Alberta oil reserves Calgary control: 167 billion barrels OOIP
- Remaining established crude oil reserves Alberta Calgary: 6.5 billion barrels in 2022
- Oil sands bitumen reserves Calgary firms: 165 billion recoverable barrels
- Pipeline capacity Calgary network: 5 million bbl/d crude 2023
- Calgary-area refineries capacity: 350,000 bbl/d in 2022
- Active drilling rigs Calgary ops: 150 avg in 2023
Calgary is a powerful and prolific hub for Canada's massive oil and gas industry.
Economics
- Oil gas GDP contribution Calgary: CAD 75 billion in 2022
- Calgary energy exports value: CAD 120 billion in 2023
- Tax revenues from Calgary oil gas: CAD 15 billion provincial in 2022
- Royalties Calgary-managed production: CAD 20.5 billion in 2023
- Calgary business expenditures oil gas: CAD 50 billion in 2022
- Investment in Calgary upstream: CAD 18 billion in 2023
- Capital spending midstream Calgary: CAD 6.2 billion in 2022
- Calgary GDP share from energy: 35% or CAD 45 billion in 2023
- Household income boost Calgary energy: +CAD 25,000 avg in 2022
- Supplier purchases Calgary oil firms: CAD 35 billion in 2023
- Energy sector multiplier effect Calgary: 2.5x direct GDP in 2022
- Calgary property taxes from energy: CAD 2.8 billion in 2023
- Venture capital Calgary energy tech: CAD 1.2 billion in 2022
- Carbon tax revenues Calgary oil: CAD 1.5 billion in 2023
- Energy R&D spend Calgary: CAD 800 million in 2022
- Calgary energy trade surplus: CAD 100 billion in 2023
- Corporate income tax Calgary oil: CAD 8 billion federal in 2022
- Labour income Calgary energy: CAD 18 billion in 2023
- Indirect jobs economic value Calgary: CAD 30 billion in 2022
- Calgary rig release costs avg: CAD 5 million per in 2023
- Energy capital stock Calgary: CAD 500 billion in 2022
- Drilling costs per well Calgary: CAD 7.5 million horizontal in 2023
- Frac sand demand Calgary ops: 25 million tonnes in 2022
- Pipeline construction spend Calgary: CAD 4 billion in 2023
- Seismic data acquisition Calgary: CAD 300 million in 2022
Economics Interpretation
Calgary’s oil and gas industry isn't just fueling the world; it's bankrolling the province, boosting every household, and building the entire city's economy on a foundation of remarkably expensive holes in the ground.
Employment
- Calgary employed 140,000 in oil and gas in 2022
- Oil sands workforce from Calgary offices: 65,000 direct jobs in 2023
- Average salary in Calgary energy sector: CAD 120,000 in 2022
- Calgary upstream oil gas jobs: 85,000 in 2023
- Midstream employment Calgary hub: 22,000 jobs in 2022
- Downstream refining jobs Calgary area: 8,500 in 2023
- Engineering roles in Calgary oil gas: 35,000 professionals in 2022
- Geoscientists employed in Calgary sector: 12,000 in 2023
- Calgary rig crews average: 15,000 workers in 2022 peak
- Women in Calgary oil gas workforce: 22% or 30,800 in 2023
- Indigenous employment Calgary energy: 7,000 jobs in 2022
- Youth apprenticeships Calgary oil gas: 5,200 in 2023 programs
- Calgary service sector oil jobs: 28,000 in 2022
- Total Calgary energy cluster jobs: 250,000 including indirect in 2023
- Labour turnover rate Calgary oil gas: 18% in 2022
- Overtime hours Calgary rigs: 1.2 million hours/month avg 2023
- Training investments Calgary firms: CAD 450 million in 2022
- Calgary oil gas executives: 4,500 C-suite roles in 2023
- Field operators Calgary companies: 42,000 in 2022
- Calgary petrophysicists: 2,800 employed in 2023
- Safety training completions Calgary: 120,000 certifications in 2022
- Unionized workers Calgary energy: 35% of 140,000 in 2023
- Remote work adoption Calgary oil offices: 45% in 2022
- Job vacancies Calgary oil gas: 12,000 unfilled in Q1 2023
- Average tenure Calgary energy workers: 8.5 years in 2022
- Calgary internships oil gas: 3,500 placements in 2023
Employment Interpretation
While Calgary's energy sector fuels the nation's economy with a quarter-million paychecks and enviable salaries, it’s grappling with a revolving door of talent (18% turnover), thousands of unfilled roles, and a stark gender imbalance, all while its workforce logs enough overtime to build a time machine back to a better work-life balance.
Infrastructure
- Pipeline capacity Calgary network: 5 million bbl/d crude 2023
- Calgary-area refineries capacity: 350,000 bbl/d in 2022
- Active drilling rigs Calgary ops: 150 avg in 2023
- Wells drilled Calgary firms: 4,200 horizontal in 2022
- Gas processing plants Calgary link: 120 facilities capacity 18 Bcf/d
- Oil sands upgraders Calgary control: 1.3 million bbl/d capacity
- LNG export potential Calgary gas: 10 mtpa planned 2030
- CO2 capture storage sites Calgary: 5 Mtpa capacity 2023
- Seismic lines Calgary survey: 500,000 km in WCSB
- Road km for Calgary ops: 200,000 km lease roads
- Water use recycling Calgary oil sands: 85% recycled 2022
- GHG emissions intensity Calgary ops: 40 kg CO2e/boe 2023
- Flaring volumes Calgary fields: 0.5% of gas 2022
- Reclamation completed Calgary: 1.2 million hectares 2023
- Fibre optic networks Calgary energy: 10,000 km for data
- Power grid capacity for Calgary sites: 15 GW peak
- Truck traffic Calgary pads: 50 million tonnes haulage 2022
- Battery storage for ops: 500 MWh Calgary remote 2023
- Wind power integration Calgary gas: 2 GW hybrid
- Produced water injection wells: 25,000 Calgary 2022
- Orphan wells cleaned Calgary directive: 8,000 in 2023
- Digital twin implementations Calgary fields: 200 sites 2022
- Drone surveys Calgary leases: 1 million acres/year
- Hydrogen hubs planned Calgary: 3 Mtpa blue H2 by 2030
- CCUS projects active Calgary: CAD 2 billion invested 2023
Infrastructure Interpretation
Calgary's energy sector marches forward like a meticulous juggler, handling colossal volumes of crude and gas while simultaneously trying to perfect its catch of emissions, reclamation, and technological reinvention.
Production
- In 2022, Alberta's crude oil production, with Calgary as the operational hub, reached 3.7 million barrels per day
- Calgary-headquartered companies accounted for 85% of Western Canada oil sands production at 3.2 million barrels per day in Q4 2022
- Natural gas production from Calgary-based firms in Alberta hit 12.5 billion cubic feet per day in 2023
- In 2021, conventional oil output from Calgary-managed fields was 456,000 barrels per day
- Oil sands bitumen production controlled from Calgary totaled 2.9 million bbl/d in 2022
- Calgary firms produced 1.1 million barrels per day of synthetic crude in 2023
- Pipeline throughput from Calgary operations averaged 4.2 million bbl/d of crude in 2022
- Condensate production in Alberta via Calgary companies was 250,000 bbl/d in 2022
- Shale gas output from Calgary-directed Duvernay play reached 1.2 Bcf/d in 2023
- Heavy oil production from Calgary bases was 1.5 million bbl/d in Q1 2023
- Light oil production managed from Calgary hit 850,000 bbl/d in 2022
- Total marketable gas from Calgary industry was 15.4 Bcf/d in 2022
- Ethane production from Calgary petrochemical links was 45,000 bbl/d in 2023
- Propane output from Calgary gas processing plants averaged 120,000 bbl/d in 2022
- Butane production in Alberta Calgary sector was 95,000 bbl/d in 2023
- Total hydrocarbon liquids from Calgary firms: 4.8 million bbl/d in 2022
- Montney formation gas production via Calgary: 6.8 Bcf/d in 2023
- Viking light oil play output from Calgary: 120,000 bbl/d in 2022
- Cardium formation production managed from Calgary: 180,000 bbl/d in 2023
- Lloydminster heavy oil from Calgary ops: 450,000 bbl/d in 2022
- Peace River oil sands mining production Calgary-controlled: 300,000 bbl/d in 2023
- In-situ oil sands production from Calgary: 2.6 million bbl/d in 2022
- Total Alberta gas production Calgary share: 78% or 12 Bcf/d in 2023
- NGLs production Calgary industry: 450,000 bbl/d in 2022
- Deep Basin gas from Calgary firms: 2.1 Bcf/d in 2023
- Mannville stack oil production Calgary: 250,000 bbl/d in 2022
- Total 2022 Calgary oil equiv production: 5.2 MMboe/d
- 2023 forecast Calgary gas production growth: +5% to 13 Bcf/d
- Q2 2023 crude runs Calgary refineries link: 1.8 million bbl/d
- Calgary sector ethane rejection rate: 25% in 2022 winter
Production Interpretation
The statistics reveal a Calgary that not only sits atop a vast kingdom of hydrocarbons, ruling from the boardroom over millions of barrels and billions of cubic feet daily, but also faces the immense responsibility of managing the delicate balance between this remarkable output and the environmental ledger its operations inevitably accrue.
Reserves
- Alberta oil reserves Calgary control: 167 billion barrels OOIP
- Remaining established crude oil reserves Alberta Calgary: 6.5 billion barrels in 2022
- Oil sands bitumen reserves Calgary firms: 165 billion recoverable barrels
- Natural gas reserves Calgary-managed: 60 Tcf in Alberta 2023
- Montney tight gas reserves: 400 Tcf Calgary share 2022
- Duvernay shale gas reserves: 150 Tcf from Calgary ops
- Liquids reserves Montney Calgary: 20 billion bbl
- Viking formation reserves: 2.5 billion bbl oil Calgary
- Cardium tight oil reserves: 1.8 billion bbl 2023
- Lloydminster heavy oil reserves: 15 billion bbl Calgary
- Peace River oil sands reserves: 12 billion bbl recoverable
- Athabasca oil sands Calgary firms: 100 billion bbl
- Shale oil reserves Calgary plays: 5 billion bbl in 2022
- Coalbed methane reserves Alberta: 10 Tcf Calgary
- NGL reserves Calgary sector: 3 billion bbl equiv 2023
- Ultimate oil potential WCSB Calgary: 600 billion bbl
- Gas initially in place Calgary: 1,500 Tcf
- Condensate reserves: 1.2 billion bbl in 2022
- Mannville group reserves oil: 10 billion bbl Calgary
- Deep Basin reserves gas: 50 Tcf 2023
- Contingent resources oil sands: 300 billion bbl Calgary
- Prospective resources shale Calgary: 20 Tcf gas
- Reserves replacement ratio Calgary: 120% in 2022
- Proved reserves growth Calgary oil: +2% to 7 billion bbl 2023
- 2P gas reserves Calgary: 80 Tcf in 2022
- Undiscovered resource oil WCSB: 50 billion bbl Calgary est
Reserves Interpretation
Calgary's geological inheritance reads like a gilded library where we've only checked out the first few chapters, but the sheer weight of its unread volumes suggests our real task is to master the alchemy of extracting their value responsibly before the story's due date.