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Newfoundland and Labrador's energy resources include crude oil, hydropower and wind power. The province generates electricity from hydropower, wind power, oil, diesel and natural gas.
In 2011, the mining, oil and utility sectors accounted for about 30 per cent of Newfoundland and Labrador's gross domestic product, and the province received approximately $2.4 billion in oil royalties.
The energy and utilities workforce in Newfoundland and Labrador totalled 5,500 employees in 2011.
Newfoundland and Labrador's energy exports include crude oil, refined petroleum products and electricity.
Discover the key energy facts about Newfoundland & Labrador.
By the numbers (1MB PDF)
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Crude Oil
Crude oil reserves in Newfoundland and Labrador totalled approximately 887.3 million barrels at the end of 2010. These reserves are primarily in the offshore Jeanne d'Arc Basin approximately 300 kilometres east of St. John's.
There are four producing fields in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin – Hibernia, which averaged 146,164 barrels per day in 2011, Terra Nova, which averaged 43,120 barrels per day, White Rose, which averaged 34,800 barrels per day, and North Amethyst which averaged 34,191 barrels per day. Average combined production in 2011 amounted to 258,275 barrels per day.
Other projects under development in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin include Hebron/Ben Nevis with reserves of 730 million barrels of oil, 429 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 30 million barrels of natural gas liquids; and South Hibernia with 220 million barrels of oil.
There is one onshore petroleum project, Garden Hill South, under evaluation on the Port au Port peninsula on the west coast of Newfoundland.
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Refineries
The North Atlantic Refining Ltd. Operates a 115,000 barrel per day refinery in Come By Chance, northwest of St. John's. Crude oil is delivered by tanker from the Middle East, Russia and Venezuela.
Products include gasoline, ultra low sulphur diesel and other distillates.
The refinery employs just over 550 people.
The refinery was built between 1971 and 1973, and refined its first oil in 1973. Following the bankruptcy of its original owners in 1976, the refinery was refurbished in 1986 and again in 1994.
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Hydropower
Four companies generate hydroelectricity in Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has an installed hydroelectricity capacity of 6,612.1 megawatts; Newfoundland Power has 77.1 megawatts; Kruger Energy has 122 megawatts and Algonquin Power has four megawatts. As well, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador has five hydropower facilities, all operated by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, that have a capacity of 122 megawattsThe combined installed capacity for hydro is 6,953.5 megawatts, or 89.5 per cent of Newfoundland and Labrador's total installed capacity.
The largest hydroelectricity plant in the province is Churchill Falls in Labrador, with an installed capacity of 5,428.7 megawatts. Most of the electricity generated at Churchill Falls is sold to HydroQuébec through a long-term agreement.
The largest hydroelectric plant on the island of Newfoundland is the 604 megawatt Bay d'Espoir facility.
In 2011, Newfoundland and Labrador hydroelectric generation totalled 96.6 terawatt-hours.
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Wind Power
There are currently four operating wind farms in Newfoundland and Labrador.The Ramea, St. Lawrence and Fermeuse wind farms and the Ramea Wind/Diesel Project.
The Ramea Wind Farm, completed in 2004, has six turbines and an installed capacity of 0.3 megawatts.
The St. Lawrence Wind Farm, on the south coast of the island, began generating electricity in 2008 and has an installed capacity of 27 megawatts.
The Fermeuse wind farm, located on the Avalon Peninsula south of St. John's, has an installed capacity of 27 megawatts.
The Ramea Wind/Diesel Project has one 100 kilowatt wind turbine.
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Thermal Electricity Generation
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro operates one oil-fired generating station, four gas turbine generating stations and 25 diesel-fired thermal plants. Newfoundland Power operates three gas turbine generating stations and three diesel-fired plants.
Combined installed capacities are 490 megawatts for oil-fired generation, 1182 megawatts for gas turbine generation and 72.7 megawatts for diesel generation or 6.4 per cent, 2.3 per cent and 0.8 per cent of total installed capacity.
The oil-fired plant, Holyrood, near St. John's, is the largest at 490 megawatts installed capacity.
The largest gas turbine plants, at 54 megawatts installed capacity each, are in Stephenville and St. Johns (Hardwoods).
The province also has one 15 megawatt thermal plant that burns wood waste.
Thermal electricity facilities can generate power several different ways, including natural gas (represented by circles on the map), oil/diesel generation (squares), coal (triangles) and biomass (diamonds).
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Newfoundland and Labrador Energy Exports to the United States
