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New Brunswick’s energy resources include hydropower, coal and natural gas. The province generates electricity from these sources as well as nuclear power and petroleum products.
New Brunswick exports electricity and petroleum products primarily to the northeast United States as well as other Canadian Provinces. In 2009, the value of the province’s petroleum product exports amounted to more than 5.8 billion dollars, and its electricity exports $109.1 million.
Utilities accounted for 2.8 per cent of the province’s gross domestic product in 2008.
The New Brunswick government collected $34.4 million from New Brunswick Power Group, the provincial electricity generator, through New Brunswick Electric Finance Corporation.
Discover the key energy facts about New Brunswick.
By the numbers (322KB PDF)
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Natural Gas
The petroleum industry in New Brunswick began in 1859 with the discovery of the Dover natural gas field near Moncton. Dover was the first producing gas field in Canada. Total production for the province from 1912 to 1988 amounted to 27.9 billion cubic feet.
Natural gas production recommenced in 2003 with the discovery of the McCully natural gas field near Sussex. Proved and probable reserves are estimated at 137.6 billion cubic feet, and production for 2009 averaged 23 million cubic feet per day.
From 1911 to 1988, crude oil production totalled 803,809 barrels. There has been no crude oil production in New Brunswick since 1988.
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Natural Gas Pipelines
The Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline delivers natural gas from the Sable Offshore Energy Project, off the coast of Nova Scotia to markets in Atlantic Canada and New England.
The 1,400 kilometre pipeline extends undersea from the Sable gas fields to Goldboro, Nova Scotia, then overland through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Maximum throughput is 600 million cubic feet per day per day.
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Refineries
The Irving refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick is Canada’s largest refinery. It produces 300,000 barrels of petroleum products, such as gasoline, ultra low sulphur diesel, oil, asphalt and spent acids, per day.
Crude oil is delivered to the refinery by tanker via Irving’s Canaport Crude Terminal in Saint John harbour.
About 58 per cent of the refinery’s output is exported to the United States.
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Hydroelectricity
New Brunswick has seven hydroelectric generating stations with a combined installed capacity of 893 megawatts, or about 22.5 per cent of the province’s total installed capacity.
The largest, with 672 megawatts installed capacity, is Mactaquac on the Saint John River 19 kilometres upstream of Fredericton. The Grand Falls and Beechwood generating stations are also on the Saint John River in the northwest part of the province.
The Sisson and Tobique generating stations are on the Tobique River East of Grand Falls . The Milltown generating station, built in 1881, is the oldest in New Brunswick and is located on the St. Croix River which is also the Maine – New Brunswick border. Nipisiguit Falls is in the northeast part of the province near Bathhurst.
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Coal
The Salmon Harbour Coal mine was the last operating coal mine in New Brunswick when it closed in December 2009. It was located near Minto in the south-central part of the province and supplied coal to the Grand Lake Generating Station, also near Minto. The Grand Lake Generating Station, the Salmon harbour mine’s only customer, closed in March 2010.
The mine produced about 150,000 tonnes of coal per year for the generating station.
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Wind
New Brunswick has two wind farms, Kent Hills, located about 25 kilometres southwest of Moncton and Caribou Mountain Wind Farm near Bathurst. The farms have a combined installed capacity of 195 megawatts.
Two other wind farms, Aulac and Lamèque Island have been delayed due to the global economic downturn. Installed capacities will be 64.5 megawatts and 49.5 megawatts respectively.
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Thermal Electricity Generation
New Brunswick has one generating station that produces electricity from coal, two that produce electricity from oil and three that produce electricity from combustion turbines.
The coal-fired plant has an installed capacity of 458 megawatts, or 11.4 per cent of New Brunswick’s total installed capacity.
The oil-fired plants have a combined installed capacity of 1,278 megawatts, or 31.8 per cent of the total.
Combined installed capacity of the combustion turbine plants is 526 megawatts, or 13.1 per cent of the total.
The province also has 38 megawatts of installed biomass-fired electricity.
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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Nuclear
New Brunswick has one nuclear power plant, Point Lepreau, located on the south coast about 45 kilometres southwest of Saint John. The plant has a net installed capacity of 635 megawatts, and supplies 25 to 30 per cent of New Brunswick’s electricity needs.
Point Lepreau came into commercial service in 1983 and is currently undergoing refurbishment which will prolong the life of the plant by 25 to 30 years. Without the refurbishment, it would have been necessary to close the plant 2010.
The Government of New Brunswick is currently studying the feasibility of constructing a new 1,100 megawatt nuclear power plant, Point Lepreau 2, next to the existing power plant.
