Alberta's highly-anticipated review of its energy royalty regime has been delayed until after the new year.

Premier Rachel Notley says that while results were supposed to come out this month, the government wants more time to make sure it gets the details right.

She says it's hoped the results will be released in early January.

Notley also says the plan will be "highly sensitive" to the difficult times in the oilpatch.

Thousands of workers in the industry have been laid off, as the benchmark West Texas Intermediate price for oil has plunged from a high of $100 US a barrel to below $40 US since 2013.

A panel is currently reviewing aspects of the royalty regime to determine, among other things, whether Albertans are getting a fair share of the profits.