What refineries supply gasoline to Nova Scotia and where are they located?
Executive summary
Nova Scotia does not currently operate any petroleum refineries and therefore sources most of its gasoline and other refined petroleum products (RPPs) from refineries outside the province—principally from Irving’s large Saint John refinery in New Brunswick, occasional supplies from Newfoundland’s Come By Chance refinery, and a mix of U.S. East Coast refineries—delivered by ship, terminal and truck distribution systems [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Historically the Dartmouth refinery in Nova Scotia supplied much of the province’s needs, but Imperial Oil converted that facility to a terminal and ceased refining operations, changing the province’s supply dynamics [3] [6] [7].
1. Nova Scotia has no operating refineries today — it imports refined product
Federal energy profiling notes plainly that Nova Scotia “does not have any refineries” and is therefore dependent on imports of refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and heating oil [1]. This structural reality means the province’s fuel security and prices are shaped by external refinery operations, shipping schedules and terminal inventories rather than local crude-to-product processing [1] [5].
2. The largest nearby supplier: Irving Oil refinery, Saint John, New Brunswick
The Irving Oil refinery in Saint John is the largest refinery in Atlantic Canada and a primary source for Maritime gasoline and distillates; federal and journalistic reporting identify Irving’s Saint John complex as a core supplier that refines crude brought largely by tanker to its Canaport terminal and ships product eastward into the Maritimes, including Nova Scotia [2] [8] [9]. Irving also operates a Halifax Harbour terminal in Dartmouth that functions as a local distribution node handling gasoline, diesel, furnace and marine fuels for Nova Scotia markets [10].
3. Other Atlantic Canadian refineries: Come By Chance and historical Dartmouth role
Historically, smaller regional refineries such as the Come By Chance refinery in Newfoundland have supplied the Maritime provinces on occasion, and archival CER analysis shows Maritime supply typically flows from refineries in New Brunswick and Newfoundland to the region [3] [5]. By contrast, Imperial’s Dartmouth refinery once “supplied most of Nova Scotia’s needs,” but Imperial’s decision to cease refining there and use the site as a distribution terminal shifted that on-island production to imports [3] [6] [7].
4. The U.S. East Coast and international crude feed the refineries that service Nova Scotia
Much of the refined product consumed in Nova Scotia originates from refineries processing a global mix of crude oils; reporting indicates East Coast refineries, including Irving, take crude from the U.S., Middle East and elsewhere, and U.S. East Coast refineries also export refined product into Atlantic Canada when regional demand requires it [9] [4] [8]. CER’s archived mapping and analysis underline that Atlantic Canada’s gasoline supply is regionally integrated and sometimes supplemented by U.S. refinery output [5] [9].
5. Distribution: terminals, ships and trucks — the final leg into Nova Scotia
Because the province lacks pipeline connections to major Western Canadian crude sources and lacks refineries, marine delivery to terminals and subsequent truck distribution are the operational reality for gasoline supply in Nova Scotia; the Halifax Harbour terminal and converted Dartmouth Imperial terminal are examples of the terminals that receive and redistribute product within the province [1] [10] [6]. This model concentrates risk in shipping and terminal inventories—an issue raised in past shortages following Dartmouth’s conversion [11] [6].
6. Limits of available reporting and where ambiguity remains
Public sources clearly identify the Irving Saint John refinery and the historical Dartmouth and Come By Chance refineries as central to Maritime supply and note U.S. East Coast suppliers play a role, but none of the supplied documents provides a contemporaneous, exhaustive ledger specifying exactly which refineries (by name and daily volumes) are delivering gasoline to Nova Scotia in a given month; therefore, statements are constrained to documented primary suppliers and prevailing logistics patterns rather than a definitive live roster of supplying refineries [1] [2] [5] [9].