Provincial and Territorial Energy Profiles – Prince Edward Island

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Prince Edward Island

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  • Figure 1: Electricity Generation by Fuel Type (2019)

    Figure 1: Electricity Generation by Fuel Type (2019)

    Source and Description:

    Source:
    CER – Canada's Energy Future 2021 Data Appendices

    Description:
    This pie chart shows electricity generation by source in PEI. A total of 0.65 TW.h of electricity was generated in 2019.

  • Figure 2: End-Use Demand by Sector (2019)

    Figure 2: End-Use Demand by Sector (2019)

    Source and Description:

    Source:
    CER – Canada's Energy Future 2021 Data Appendices

    Description:
    This pie chart shows end-use energy demand in PEI by sector. Total end-use energy demand was 25.6 PJ in 2018. The largest sector was transportation at 47% of total demand, followed by industrial (at 22%), residential (at 19%), and lastly, commercial (at 12%).

  • Figure 3: End-Use Demand by Fuel (2019)

    Figure 3: End-Use Demand by Fuel (2019)

    Source and Description:

    Source:
    CER – Canada's Energy Future 2021 Data Appendices

    Description:
    This figure shows end-use demand by fuel type in PEI in 2018. Refined petroleum products accounted for 16.8 PJ (66%) of demand, followed by electricity at 5.8 PJ (23%), biofuels at 1.9 PJ (8%), natural gas at 0.8 PJ (3%), and other at 0.0 PJ.
    Note: "Other" includes coal, coke, and coke oven gas.

  • Figure 4: GHG Emissions by Sector

    Figure 4: GHG Emissions by Sector

    Source and Description:

    Source:
    Environment and Climate Change Canada – National Inventory Report

    Description:
    This stacked column graph shows GHG emissions in PEI by sector every five years from 1990 to 2020 in MT of CO2e. Total GHG emissions have decreased in PEI from 1.79 MT of CO2e in 1990 to 1.61 MT of CO2e in 2020.

  • Figure 5: Emissions Intensity from Electricity Generation

    Figure 5: Emissions Intensity from Electricity Generation

    Source and Description:

    Source:
    Environment and Climate Change Canada – National Inventory Report

    Description:
    This column graph shows the emissions intensity of electricity generation in PEI from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, electricity generated in PEI emitted 1 300 g of CO2e per kWh. By 2020, emissions intensity decreased to 0 g of CO2e per kWh.

Energy Production

Crude Oil

  • Prince Edward Island (PEI) does not have any commercial crude oil production.
  • Canada’s first offshore well was drilled 12 kilometres (km) south of Charlottetown in Hillsborough Bay in 1943. The well was dry.

Refined Petroleum Products (RPPs)

  • There are no refineries in PEI.

Natural Gas/Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs)

  • There is no natural gas or NGL production in PEI. PEI has some natural gas reservoirs, but only 20 exploratory wells have been drilled on and around the province to date.
  • In November 2018, Corridor Resources Ltd. announced that it was decommissioning two exploration wells near Cavendish. The wells never produced any commercial quantities of natural gas.

Electricity

  • In 2019, PEI generated about 0.65 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity (Figure 1), which is 0.1% of total Canadian production. PEI has an estimated generating capacity of 376 megawatts (MW).
  • Roughly 99% of power generation on PEI is from wind farms. As of 2019, there was an estimated 203 MW of installed wind capacity on PEI. However, the majority of electricity consumed in PEI is imported from New Brunswick, which generates the majority of its electricity from a mix of nuclear, fossil fuels, and hydroelectricity.
  • PEI’s largest wind farm is Engie’s West Cape Wind Park with a capacity of 99 MW.
  • PEI’s renewable capacity increased from about 15 MW in 2005 to 205 MW in 2019. Its share of generation from renewables also increased from 86% to 99% in this period. The Renewable Energy Act passed in 2005 contributed to this increase by requiring utilities to source a minimum of 15% of their energy from renewable sources (including out of province purchases) by 2010. In mid-2015, the act was amended to eliminate this requirement. In 2020, the government began the process of reviewing its energy legislation.
  • Diesel and oil-fired facilities are used to meet periods of peak power demand and during emergencies when wind generation or off-island imports are interrupted. Such facilities accounted for less than 1% of PEI’s total energy needs in 2019.
  • Most of PEI’s electricity generation, transmission, and distribution is provided by Maritime Electric Company Ltd. (Maritime Electric), a subsidiary of Fortis Inc.
  • PEI Energy Corporation is a provincial Crown corporation whose mandate involves the promotion and development of energy systems on the island. The Crown corporation operates wind farms at Elmira (30 MW), Hermanville (30 MW), and North Cape (10.6 MW). It was planning an expansion to double 30 MW capacity of the Eastern Kings Wind Farm; however, the project was denied a permit by the Rural Municipality of Eastern Kings after receiving approval from the provincial government. The PEI Energy Corporation filed its appeal with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. PEI Energy Corporation finances renewables initiatives in the province, such as the Wind Energy Institute of Canada Renewable Energy Park.
  • Some thermal generating facilities are owned by a municipal utility in Summerside. Eight wind farms are owned by a small number of independent companies, including a municipal utility, an independent power producer, and a Crown corporation.
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Energy Transportation and Trade

Crude Oil and Liquids

  • PEI is not connected to any crude oil or liquids pipeline systems. The province receives RPPs by ship.

Natural Gas

  • PEI is not connected to any natural gas pipeline systems. A small amount of compressed natural gas is trucked into the province.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

  • There are no current or proposed LNG facilities in PEI.

Electricity

  • PEI is a net importer of electricity, with net interprovincial and international electricity inflows of 0.9 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2019. PEI sources approximately 60% of its electricity from New Brunswick. Electricity is transmitted between provinces by four subsea cables under the Northumberland Strait.
  • The Interconnection Upgrade Project was completed and placed in service in 2017. The project increases transmission capacity between New Brunswick and PEI by adding two new 180 MW subsea cables. The original two cables linking PEI and New Brunswick were installed in 1977 with a capacity of 100 MW each.
  • Power is distributed around the island on about 6 000 km of transmission and distribution power lines which are owned and operated by Maritime Electric.
  • The PEI Energy Corporation also owns transmission facilities in Prince County to connect its North Cape operations and other generators to the Maritime Electric grid.
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Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Total Energy Consumption

  • End-use demand in PEI was 26.7 petajoules (PJ) in 2019. The largest sector for energy demand was transportation at 45% of total demand, followed by residential at 22%, industrial at 21%, and commercial at 11% (Figure 2). PEI’s total energy demand was the tenth largest in Canada, and the twelfth largest on a per capita basis.
  • RPPs were the largest fuel type consumed in PEI, accounting for 17 PJ, or 65% of total end-use demand. Electricity and biofuels accounted for 6 PJ (22%) and 2.2 PJ (8%), respectively (Figure 3).

Refined Petroleum Products

  • PEI’s motor gasoline demand in 2019 was 1 416 litres per capita, 12% above the national average of 1 268 litres per capita.
  • PEI’s diesel demand in 2019 was 848 litres per capita, 1% below the national average of 855 litres per capita.
  • Gasoline consumed in PEI is primarily produced at the Irving Oil Refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick.
  • The Irving Oil Terminal in Charlottetown receives gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and kerosene via ship. RPPs are then distributed throughout the island by truck.
  • PEI’s Regulatory and Appeals Commission regulates provincial prices for gasoline, diesel, furnace oil, and propane. The Commission schedules price adjustments on gasoline, diesel, and furnace oil every Friday. Propane prices are set every second Friday.

Natural Gas

  • A small amount of compressed natural gas is trucked into PEI for industrial use.

Electricity

  • In 2019, annual electricity consumption per capita in PEI was 10.6 megawatt-hours (MWh). PEI ranked ninth in Canada for per capita electricity consumption and consumed 29% less than the national average.
  • PEI’s largest consuming sector for electricity was commercial at 0.74 TWh. The industrial and residential sectors consumed 0.68 TWh and 0.3 TWh, respectively.

GHG Emissions

  • PEI’s GHG emissions in 2020 were 1.6 megatonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).Footnote 1 PEI’s emissions have decreased 10% since 1990 and 15% since 2005.
  • PEI’s emissions per capita are 10.0 tonnes CO2e per capita – 44% below the Canadian average of 17.7 tonnes per capita.
  • The largest emitting sectors in PEI are transportation at 41% of emissions, agriculture at 22%, and buildings (residential and service industry) at 19% (Figure 4).
  • In 2020, PEI’s power sector emitted 300 tonnes of CO2e emissions, a small fraction of Canadian emissions from power generation.
  • The greenhouse gas intensity of PEI’s electricity generation, measured as the GHGs emitted in the generation of the province’s electric power, was zero grams of CO2e per kilowatt-hour (g of CO2e/kWh) electricity generated in 2020. This is a 100% reduction from the province’s 2005 level of 100 g of CO2e/kWh. The national average in 2020 was 110 g of CO2e/kWh (Figure 5).
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Data Sources

Provincial & Territorial Energy Profiles aligns with the CER’s latest Canada's Energy Future 2021 Data Appendices datasets. Energy Futures uses a variety of data sources, generally starting with Statistics Canada data as the foundation, and making adjustments to ensure consistency across all provinces and territories.

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