Borderline Shocking

Data points for the Canada/U.S. electricity debate

You may have heard some rumblings recently about U.S. threats to place tariffs on Canadian electricity exports to America--and the Canadian Premier's corresponding response. We won't delve further into the political details here, amusing and/or perplexing as they might be. However, here are some important data points to keep you informed of the specifics related to the situation, courtesy of the Canadian Energy Regulator website.

• Canada and the United States (U.S.) share a highly connected energy system. A 2025 summary of Canada’s trade at the national level shows these connections.

• A network of dozens of pipelines transport crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and refined petroleum products (RPPs) between Canada and the U.S. along with fleets of rail, marine, and freight vehicles. Additionally, 86 international power lines move electricity between provinces and U.S. states.

• Exports of crude oil, RPPs, natural gas, and NGLs to the U.S. totaled $157.5 billion for the Canadian economy in 2025, representing 20.2% of Canada’s total goods exported globally.

• Imports of crude oil, RPPs, natural gas, and NGLs from the U.S. amounted to $34.4 billion in 2025, accounting for 4.4% of Canada’s total goods imported globally.

• In 2025, electricity exports to the U.S. were valued at $3.3 billion, representing 0.4% of total goods exported from Canada to all countries. Electricity imports from the U.S. were valued at $1.4 billion, representing 0.2% of total goods imported into Canada from all countries.

• Electricity imports and exports play a critical role in ensuring electricity systems reliability in Canadian provinces and U.S. states.

• All of Canada’s electricity trade is with the U.S. In 2025, Canada exported 32.7 Terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity, valued at $3.3 billion.

• Canada imported 22.1 TWh of electricity, valued at $1.4 billion in 2025.