Alberta economy
Oil & gas
What Alberta's oil and gas actually sell for, how many rigs are turning, and how much is coming out of the ground — from the Government of Alberta's own published figures. Numbers only: no forecasts, no advice, and nothing said about energy policy.
The number that moves the budget
Alberta oil sold at a US$18.91 discount in June 2026
West Texas Intermediate averaged US$84.81 a barrel that month. Western Canadian Select — the heavy blend most Alberta producers actually sell — averaged US$65.90. The gap between them was 22% of the benchmark price, about US$3 wider than its ten-year average.
A year earlier the discount was US$9.95.
Western Canadian Select
US$0.00
▲ up 13.2% vs last year
June 2026 average
West Texas Intermediate
US$0.00
▲ up 24.4% vs last year
June 2026 average
Natural gas reference price
$0.00/GJ
▲ up 30.5% vs last year
June 2026 · Canadian dollars
Rigs drilling
0
▲ up 19.4% vs last year
July 2026 · of 231 in the fleet
What a barrel fetched, five years
Monthly averages in US dollars. The space between the two lines is the differential.
View as table
| Period | WTI | WCS |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-07 | 72.49 | 58.46 |
| 2021-08 | 67.73 | 54.47 |
| 2021-09 | 71.65 | 58.02 |
| 2021-10 | 81.48 | 69.30 |
| 2021-11 | 79.15 | 65.25 |
| 2021-12 | 71.71 | 53.10 |
| 2022-01 | 83.22 | 65.60 |
| 2022-02 | 91.64 | 79.10 |
| 2022-03 | 108.50 | 94.57 |
| 2022-04 | 101.78 | 89.06 |
| 2022-05 | 109.55 | 96.60 |
| 2022-06 | 114.84 | 101.17 |
| 2022-07 | 101.62 | 80.44 |
| 2022-08 | 93.67 | 70.45 |
| 2022-09 | 84.26 | 64.18 |
| 2022-10 | 87.55 | 66.38 |
| 2022-11 | 84.37 | 57.44 |
| 2022-12 | 76.44 | 47.14 |
| 2023-01 | 78.12 | 49.94 |
| 2023-02 | 76.83 | 51.16 |
| 2023-03 | 73.28 | 52.99 |
| 2023-04 | 79.45 | 63.48 |
| 2023-05 | 71.58 | 56.24 |
| 2023-06 | 70.25 | 56.42 |
| 2023-07 | 76.07 | 64.12 |
| 2023-08 | 81.39 | 70.13 |
| 2023-09 | 89.43 | 73.85 |
| 2023-10 | 85.64 | 67.23 |
| 2023-11 | 77.69 | 56.61 |
| 2023-12 | 71.90 | 45.48 |
| 2024-01 | 74.15 | 53.77 |
| 2024-02 | 77.25 | 57.83 |
| 2024-03 | 81.28 | 61.28 |
| 2024-04 | 85.35 | 68.65 |
| 2024-05 | 80.02 | 65.59 |
| 2024-06 | 79.77 | 66.83 |
| 2024-07 | 81.80 | 67.49 |
| 2024-08 | 76.68 | 61.37 |
| 2024-09 | 70.24 | 55.90 |
| 2024-10 | 71.99 | 57.86 |
| 2024-11 | 69.95 | 57.56 |
| 2024-12 | 70.12 | 57.76 |
| 2025-01 | 75.74 | 62.86 |
| 2025-02 | 71.53 | 59.07 |
| 2025-03 | 68.24 | 54.38 |
| 2025-04 | 63.54 | 50.83 |
| 2025-05 | 62.17 | 51.57 |
| 2025-06 | 68.17 | 58.22 |
| 2025-07 | 68.39 | 58.31 |
| 2025-08 | 64.86 | 53.70 |
| 2025-09 | 63.96 | 51.63 |
| 2025-10 | 60.89 | 48.62 |
| 2025-11 | 60.06 | 48.77 |
| 2025-12 | 57.97 | 46.45 |
| 2026-01 | 60.04 | 47.22 |
| 2026-02 | 64.51 | 50.33 |
| 2026-03 | 91.38 | 75.85 |
| 2026-04 | 100.32 | 85.48 |
| 2026-05 | 102.13 | 83.14 |
| 2026-06 | 84.81 | 65.90 |
Rigs drilling in Alberta
Active rigs by month. Drilling is seasonal — it falls every spring when thawing ground closes roads to heavy equipment.
View as table
| Period | Active rigs |
|---|---|
| 2021-08 | 106 |
| 2021-09 | 111 |
| 2021-10 | 119 |
| 2021-11 | 127 |
| 2021-12 | 110 |
| 2022-01 | 163 |
| 2022-02 | 174 |
| 2022-03 | 137 |
| 2022-04 | 95 |
| 2022-05 | 85 |
| 2022-06 | 117 |
| 2022-07 | 142 |
| 2022-08 | 149 |
| 2022-09 | 151 |
| 2022-10 | 150 |
| 2022-11 | 158 |
| 2022-12 | 136 |
| 2023-01 | 183 |
| 2023-02 | 186 |
| 2023-03 | 153 |
| 2023-04 | 91 |
| 2023-05 | 68 |
| 2023-06 | 111 |
| 2023-07 | 129 |
| 2023-08 | 135 |
| 2023-09 | 135 |
| 2023-10 | 142 |
| 2023-11 | 145 |
| 2023-12 | 122 |
| 2024-01 | 161 |
| 2024-02 | 173 |
| 2024-03 | 151 |
| 2024-04 | 102 |
| 2024-05 | 85 |
| 2024-06 | 106 |
| 2024-07 | 142 |
| 2024-08 | 157 |
| 2024-09 | 156 |
| 2024-10 | 158 |
| 2024-11 | 144 |
| 2024-12 | 120 |
| 2025-01 | 181 |
| 2025-02 | 187 |
| 2025-03 | 160 |
| 2025-04 | 108 |
| 2025-05 | 105 |
| 2025-06 | 104 |
| 2025-07 | 129 |
| 2025-08 | 134 |
| 2025-09 | 140 |
| 2025-10 | 144 |
| 2025-11 | 143 |
| 2025-12 | 128 |
| 2026-01 | 178 |
| 2026-02 | 180 |
| 2026-03 | 150 |
| 2026-04 | 114 |
| 2026-05 | 118 |
| 2026-06 | 142 |
| 2026-07 | 154 |
Common questions
- What is the WCS–WTI differential?
- It is the gap between West Texas Intermediate, the North American benchmark price, and Western Canadian Select, the heavy blend most Alberta producers actually sell. In June 2026 WTI averaged US$84.81 a barrel and WCS US$65.90, a discount of US$18.91 — about US$3 wider than its ten-year average.
- Why does the differential matter to Alberta?
- Alberta's royalty revenue is tied to what its oil actually sells for, not to the benchmark quoted in the news. A wider discount means less revenue per barrel produced, which is why provincial budget documents forecast the differential as a separate line from the oil price itself.
- Are these live prices?
- No. These are monthly averages published by the Government of Alberta, and the most recent price month is usually one to two months behind. Rig activity is published closer to current. They are the right figures for understanding a trend and the wrong ones for anything time-sensitive.
- What is the Alberta natural gas reference price?
- It is the monthly price used to calculate natural gas royalties in Alberta, in Canadian dollars per gigajoule. It tracks the Alberta market hub that trading desks call AECO.
Related
Every figure on this page is published by the Government of Alberta Economic Dashboard, which is the authoritative source and takes precedence over anything shown here. These are monthly averages, not live quotes — the most recent price month is June 2026, 2 months back. Nothing here is financial or investment advice, and this page carries no advertising.
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