The Energy Information Administration said that Canada is the largest supplier of energy imports to the United States. Energy contributed to $85 billion, or 27% of US imports from Canada in 2019, of which 91% were crude oil and petroleum products. Last year, the US imported 3.8 million bpd of Canadian crude, accounting for 56% of US overall crude oil imports and compared to 3.7 million bpd imports in 2018.
The US mostly imported Canadian heavy grades produced in oil sands in Alberta. Refineries in the US Midwest mostly process these Canadian crudes. Limited pipeline capacity to import Canadian oil makes crude oil trade by rail more attractive. US imports of Canadian crude oil by rail reached 300,000 bpd in 2019, compared to 91,000 bpd in 2016.
Last year, the US received 610,000 bpd of petroleum product shipments from Canada. Canadian shipments accounted for 26% of overall US petroleum product imports in 2019. On a value basis, US petroleum product imports from Canada totalled $14 billion last year.
US Natural gas imports from Canada were valued at $6 billion and totalled 7.4 Bcfd in 2019, of which 98% was done via pipeline. Most of the Canadian natural gas imported by the US was produced in Western Canada and went to US West and Midwest states.
