Canadian Oil and Gas Spending Plummets 54%

EghtesadOnline: Canada’s capital spending on its oil and gas industry fell by more than half in the second quarter as the pandemic-inspired low prices continue to burden oil and gas producers with impossible breakevens.

News ID: ۷۸۵۶۰۹

31 August 2020

Canada’s capital spending fell 54% in Q2, to $3.88 billion. This is down from $8.46 billion in Q1 2020 and $8.59 billion in Q4 2019, Oil Price reported.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers estimated a couple of months ago that the full-year spend for its oil and gas production sector would be just above $23 billion—down from $37 billion for the year that it predicted in January, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, ATB Financial estimated that the heart of Canada’s oil industry, Alberta, would spend just $16.6 billion this year on oil and gas extraction—a drop of $7 billion from 2019. If realized, it will be the lowest spend since 2006, and 58% lower than Alberta’s ten-year average spend.

Prior to the pandemic, Alberta’s 2020 oil and gas capital spending was expected to be similar to 2019 levels. Over half of what Alberta spends each year is on its oil and gas industry.