How does Canada Generate its Electricity?

Canada is a country of millions of lakes and thousands of rivers. It is thus no surprise that the majority of Canada’s electricity comes from hydroelectric turbines. In 2023, 58% of all 615.33 TWh of electricity generated in Canada was hydroelectricity. One fun side effect of this focus on hydroelectricity is that many of the electric utilities companies in Canada are named hydro - namely Toronto Hydro, Hydro One (Ontario), Ottawa Hydro, Hydro Quebec, Manitoba Hydro, BC Hydro, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. Hence, for many the ‘hydro bill’ does not refer to water usage!

This also means that the bulk of Canada’s electricity comes from renewable sources. Only 20% is generated from Combustion - and this also includes biomass - which is often considered renewable energy - technically.

When we think of renewable energy, one key source that usually comes to mind is solar. However, due to Canada’s more northern location, climate and ease of other sources, solar power is negligible in most provinces, and minimal in Ontario and Alberta.

One thing to keep in mind is that this graph plots the energy generated. Some provinces, such as Quebec, also export electricity to the United States. Others trade between themselves. One such example is PEI. The plot shows that 98% of the electricity generated in PEI was from wind power. That is true. However, according to Stats Canada, PEI also imports about 60% of its electricity from its neighbour (New Brunswick) through subsea cables.

Lastly, through research for this plot, it came about that some hydroelectric power stations are massive. For instance, the largest two are Robert Bourassa in Quebec and Churchill Falls in Labrador. They produce about 5% each of Canada’s entire annual energy production.