page_title: Energy policy of Canada
section_title: Current situation
hierarchical_section_title: Energy policy of Canada / Electricity / Current situation
caption_attribution_description: English: Generator Unit 16 at Pointe du Bois station, Manitoba Hydro. This is the oldest generating station still in service with Manitoba Hydro. Until 2001 the plant was operated by Winnipeg Hydro. These units are double horizontal Francis turbines. Generators are made by ABB and bear the pre-WWII ASEA logo. This picture was taken by me November 2002 and is released to the public domain.
context_page_description: Canada has access to all main sources of energy including oil and gas, coal, hydropower, biomass, solar, geothermal, wind, marine and nuclear. It is the world's second largest producer of uranium, third largest producer of hydro-electricity, fourth largest natural gas producer, and the fifth largest producer of crude oil. In 2006, only Russia, the People's Republic of China, the United States and Saudi Arabia produce more total energy than Canada.
  The United States is Canada's major trade market for energy products and services. Canada sent around 98% of its total energy exports to the United States in 2015, meaning that Canada is the largest supplier of energy exports to the world's largest economy. Canada also exports significant amounts of uranium and coal to Asia, Europe and Latin America.
  Despite being a net energy exporter, Canada also imports energy products. $24.5 billion of energy products were imported in 2004.
  Canada has a robust energy profile with abundant and diverse resources. The energy and climate policies in Canada are interrelated. These energy and climate policies are implemented at both the federal and provincial government level.
context_section_description: Electric power generation in Canada draws on hydroelectric, nuclear, coal and natural gas, with a small but growing contribution from wind power. The electrification of Canada, was spurred from the US. The Niagara electrical power plant spurred industrial development in Southern Ontario.
  Soon major rivers across Canada had hydro schemes on them. The Canadian electrical grid was closely connected to and supplied large amounts of energy to the U.S. electrical grid. Many provinces have had a provincially owned monopoly power generator, such as Ontario Hydro, Manitoba Hydro, Hydro-Québec, Sask Power and BC Hydro. Many major provincial hydroelectric schemes also included federal involvement and subsidies. These concerns embarked on vast building schemes in the postwar years raising some of the largest dams in the world.
  Ontario, Canada's most populous province, generates some 9,600 MW, over half of that coming from one dozen nuclear reactors. Ontario also has natural gas, and hydro facilities. However, Ontario faces a challenge as it must replace 80% of its generating capacity in the next twenty years—the old stations have time-expired and the nuclear reactors are overstressed. A debate continues over whether to go largely nuclear or go with renewables. Since the Green Energy Act 2009, the debate has become even more heated.
caption: Pointe du Bois Generating Station on the Winnipeg River
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