Future of Canadian tight oil hangs on net-zero progress
Report by Canada Energy Regulator outlines three different scenarios, with the global push for decarbonisation the key to future production levels
Canada may not have the massive tight oil resource of the US, but it is a still significant producer, with several smaller formations spread across the west of the country having a total output of more than 250,000b/d in 2023, according to Jean-Denis Charlebois, chief economist at the Canada Energy Regulator (CER)—the only organisation that provides publicly available medium- and long-term outlooks for Canadian tight oil. Tight oil represents almost a third of Western Canada’s conventional crude oil production, but only 5% of the Canadian total—with oil sands production holding the lion’s share. At the same time, “Canadian tight oil differs from US resource, and basically everywhere else, be
Also in this section
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
2 December 2025
The interplay between OPEC+, China and the US will define oil markets throughout 2026
1 December 2025
The North African producer’s first bidding round in almost two decades is an important milestone but the recent extension suggests a degree of trepidation
