British Columbia’s Rise as Canada’s Energy Powerhouse

Supporters of British Columbia’s natural‑resource sector can finally look back and say, “We did it.” It wasn’t easy—years of activism, red‑tape, and scepticism kept the industry on a short leash—but the province has managed to stitch together a handful of megaprojects that now put it firmly on the national energy map.

The first big wave hit with the completion of the Trans‑Mountain pipeline expansion. What began as a modest construction effort in the early 2000s ballooned into a $4.4 billion endeavour by 2024, representing more than half of all pipeline spending in Canada. In plain terms, B.C. went from building almost nothing to laying down the nation’s most ambitious oil‑transport spine.

Almost in parallel, the LNG Canada project in Kitimat took shape. The liquefaction plant and its associated storage tanks now stand as a tangible sign that the province can turn its abundant natural gas into a export‑ready commodity for distant markets. Together, these two projects have reshaped the province’s export profile.

Investment numbers tell the story louder than any press release. Between 2016 and 2023, construction spending in B.C.’s oil‑and‑gas sector jumped from under $5 billion to a peak of $21.1 billion, before settling at $15.6 billion in 2024. Production‑side capital also rose dramatically, with oil‑and‑gas spending nearly tripling to almost $6 billion. The result? A 92.5 percent surge in output between 2015 and 2025, led by natural gas, which now supplies roughly 37.5 percent of Canada’s total gas production.

These investment flows have shifted the balance of power within Canada. In the decade before 2016, B.C. accounted for about 10 percent of the country’s oil‑and‑gas investment. By 2024, that share swelled to more than 30 percent, making the province the single largest hub of energy capital in the nation.

Exports reflect the new geography as well. While shipments to the United States slipped by 5.3 percent in 2025, sales to Asian markets leapt nearly 16 percent. Energy sales to China, in particular, more than tripled—from $3.2 billion in 2023 to $9.7 billion two years later—offsetting the modest decline in U.S. sales and pushing overall non‑U.S. energy exports up by 33.5 percent.

And the story isn’t finished yet. European buyers, wary of over‑reliance on the Middle East and the United States, are beginning to scan the North Pacific for stable supplies. With pipelines already humming and LNG capacity coming online, B.C. is positioned to tap that demand, further diversifying Canada’s energy export basket.

So, yes, British Columbia is now a major energy player—not by accident, but by a series of bold, costly, and often controversial bets that finally appear to be paying off.