While not one of the main energy sources nationally, heavy fuel oil is still an important fuel source for some industries in Canada, according to a new study by Statistics Canada.
In Canada, no significant shift from the combustion of hydrocarbons toward more benign and renewable energy sources, such as hydro-electricity, has occurred during the past 15 years. However, some progress has been made in the case of heavy fuel oil, a highly polluting, low-grade fuel of tar-like consistency composed mostly of carbon, hydrogen, sulphur and other impurities such as ash. There has been a small decline in its overall use as an energy source, according to this study in the Analysis in Brief series.
In 1990, heavy fuel oil was used to produce an estimated 419.5 petajoules of energy. By 2005, this production had declined to 387.3 petajoules. (One petajoule contains energy equivalent to about 30 million litres of gasoline, enough to power Canada from all sources for a little more than an hour.)
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http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/070906/d070906b....