Saskatchewan has an abundance of natural resources. The province is already well known for the production of oil, natural gas and uranium. It soon could be known for extracting hydrogen, helium, lithium and other elements across the periodic table. On this week’s episode, the Honourable Bronwyn Eyre gives us an update on Saskatchewan’s established and emerging resource sectors. Peter and Jackie cover many topics with the Minister including: resource development; acceleration of Small Modular Rea...
Sep 01, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 81
North American pipelines are being canceled, delayed and threatened to shut down. Producers are announcing tens of billions of dollars in asset write-downs, and supermajor BP has declared they will reduce oil and gas production and become an integrated low carbon energy company. This week’s episode we discuss: Does the recent news bolster the oil and gas divestment movement’s stranded asset argument? What are the implications of these changes on North American energy supply and GHG emissions? Ho...
Aug 10, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 80
A pandemic can accelerate change. Take for instance the rapid adoption of video meetings like Zoom. Could COVID-19 also change the trajectory for oil demand? On this week’s episode, we consider the potential for an oil price spike caused by a lack of new capital investment. What if this occurred, just as electric cars were entering a more mature phase for consumer adoption? Could governments around the world accelerate the trend by choosing to support EVs with stimulus spending? We also discuss ...
Jul 07, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 79
This week’s podcast is a recording of a live stream conversation that Peter and Jackie hosted on June 22, 2020 with the Honourable Seamus O'Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. Here are some of the questions they asked Minister O’Regan during the one hour interactive session. How can the regionalism and antagonism in the debate around Canadian energy be improved? Why has the uptake been weak for the federal government’s COVID-19 loan programs? How can Canada’s natural resources sector ...
Jun 23, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 78
David Keith is a Professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School and also of Applied Physics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He is also a board member at Carbon Engineering . Dr. Keith works at the interface between climate science, energy technology, and public policy. He is best known for his work on solar geoengineering. Here are some of the questions we asked David. How uncertain are climate models in predicting the implications from rising carbon dioxide levels? Does the mo...
Jun 17, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 77
North American natural gas producers have had a tough few years and COVID-19 related demand destruction has only made things worse. But could the situation turn around this winter? On this week’s episode we discuss the current state of North American gas markets, including the significant share of continental gas that is a by-product of oil wells. With US oil production set to decline, natural gas supply will also shrink. To fill the void, growth from major gas plays, including the Marcellus, Ut...
Jun 09, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 76
In 2006, President George W. Bush said America was “addicted to oil” and set a goal to reduce Middle Eastern imports. Over the next decade, technology (not policy) caused a surge of North American oil production. Consequently, the dependence on foreign oil was diminished. But now North American production is set to decline. On this week’s episode, we consider what actions US policy makers could take to avoid a relapse in their addiction to foreign oil. What policies were used in the past? Could ...
Jun 02, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Some Canadian Federal politicians are claiming that oil is dead, never to return from the COVID-19 demand collapse. Instead, oil is alive and kicking. It is reminiscent of the famous Monty Python plague scene when someone tries to drop off a live body. With half of the world’s population under lockdown, oil consumption fell just 30 percent. Now, with restrictions lifting, demand is bouncing back. On this week’s episode, we also discuss the divestment of four oil sands producers by Norway's sover...
May 26, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 74
On this week’s podcast we interview Marty Procter, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Seven Generations Energy (7G). He reflects on the evolution of the firms ESG culture and communication, from the early days to the new supply agreement 7G was awarded because they were certified as a responsible energy supplier. 7G has been recognized for their ESG leadership, receiving a high rating from the well-known CDP organization. Additionally, Equitable Origin (advised by the Pembina Ins...
May 12, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 73
What is happening in the oilfields of the world as a result of the COVID pandemic? To what extent is the oilfield service industry being decimated from this downturn? Post-pandemic, how will the industry change? These are just some of the questions we asked Kevin Neveu, President and Chief Executive Officer at Precision Drilling, a leading provider of services to the oil and gas industry. To learn more about Precision Drilling, see the website: https://www.precisiondrilling.com/Home/default.aspx...
May 05, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 72
First, we review Michael Moore’s new movie “Planet of the Humans.” The film casts doubt on the green credentials of renewable energy by exposing upstream environmental impacts. What did the documentary get right? What parts of the narrative were incomplete? The movie highlights unsustainable trends including population growth and humankind’s thirst for energy, but are there solutions? We also review recent events, including; the historic minus $38/B oil price ; the reaction to the Canadian gover...
Apr 28, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Have you ever seen anything so severe in your 30 plus year energy career? How far could US oil production fall? What could the post-COVID oil demand recovery look like? The oil and gas sector was already on wobbly ground with investors prior to Coronavirus, will they come back now? These are just some of the questions we asked Bobby Tudor, the Co-Head of the advisory business of Perella Weinberg Partners and the Chairman and founder of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co (TPH). TPH provides strategi...
Apr 21, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 70
There are many ways society changes and adapts after major crises, such as wars, geopolitical events, economic recessions, environmental disasters and, of course, pandemics. What is the future of energy systems after COVID-19? Will the climate agenda be hindered, or will it roar back with even more vigour? We also cover the historic OPEC Plus production cut agreement made over the Easter long weekend. The group agreed to cut production by 9.7 MMB/d over the next several months with ongoing curta...
Apr 14, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 69
The pain of rock bottom oil prices has become so great that Saudi Arabia, Russia and other OPEC and non-OPEC producers, including potentially the United States and Canada, are considering a coordinated supply cut. Could an agreement be struck? Longer term, should oil producers continue to rely on the 60 year old cartel to prop up price? If a OPEC-Plus cut agreement is not made soon, will the United States slap tariffs on foreign oil imports to even the score? We also talk about the next chapter ...
Apr 07, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Just like other businesses across the country, Canadian oil and gas producers are suffering from a loss of demand for their products due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. Responding to the unprecedented business disruption, the Canadian federal government has now announced a 75 percent wage subsidy up to a maximum level. This is welcome news for companies across the country, including in the Canadian oilpatch. In addition to talking about the new government program, we also provide an update on the lat...
Mar 31, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 67
In big parts of Canada and the United States, people are being asked to stay home to avoid spreading Coronavirus. This week we review the latest information on COVID-19 infection rates and the implications for North American oil demand. With the United States being the only export market for Canadian oil, the rapid collapse of demand in key consuming regions ripples all the way up the pipelines to Alberta’s oil fields and shut-ins of Canadian production are possible. While shut-ins are occurring...
Mar 24, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 66
The effects of COVID-19 are reaching all aspects of our day-to-day lives. Stock markets are being hit hard, businesses are closing, and people are staying at home. On this episode we give an update on the rapidly changing situation considering the escalating impacts on the United States and Europe, and implications for oil demand. Amidst all this demand destruction, Saudi and Russia seem intent on increasing their oil production. Reacting to the collapse in oil price North American publicly trad...
Mar 17, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Oil prices have collapsed due to the Saudi Arabia/Russia price war and the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. On this episode we discuss the possible motivations behind why Russia and Saudi Arabia are threatening to ramp up their production and start a price war now, especially in the face of a already high degree of uncertainty for oil demand from the spreading Coronavirus. We cover the serious implications for oil and gas producers around the globe, including in the United States and Canada, and what ...
Mar 10, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 64
How is the Coronavirus impacting the markets? Did the protests across Canada in opposition to the Coastal GasLink pipeline surprise you? Does climate change risk impact investment strategy? These are just some of the questions we asked Kevin Uebelein, Chief Executive Officer at Alberta Investment Management Corporation(AIMCO). AIMCO is one of Canada’s largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with $C 120 billion of assets under management and growing. Please review our discl...
Mar 04, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 63
So you think nuclear power plants are big concrete monoliths? Not so, says Norman JD Sawyer the President and CEO of ARC Nuclear Canada. His company is among a new generation developing small, modular nuclear reactors. Norm explains why, compared to the big reactors in operation today, his technology overcomes many of the issues. For example, smaller reactors are safer and have much less waste. A modular design helps keep costs down too. The company’s first commercial project is expected to be i...
Feb 29, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 62
On this week's episode we go back in time to 1959, when the Methane Pioneer carried the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) between the United States and the United Kingdom. Now, LNG has become the fastest growing energy system in the world. Natural gas is expected to grow 40% or more over the next 20 years. However, there is some uncertainty. Near term, a global glut of LNG has collapsed spot prices. Longer term, actions to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions may slow demand growth. O...
Feb 22, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 61
Blockades have stopped big parts of Canada’s rail network. Around the same time that the protests started, Ottawa ordered trains carrying dangerous goods to cut their speed in half. This week, we talk about the situation and implications for crude by rail from Western Canada. We also talk about the latest on the Coronavirus and demand for oil and gas. Finally we give an update on Enbridge’s plan to drastically change the commercial terms for Canada’s largest oil export pipeline. Check out the de...
Feb 15, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 60
What can we learn from a 100-year-old utility bill? Can it help us think more clearly about today’s energy issues, like polarized pipeline issues? Find out as we talk about Peter Tertzakian’s Energyphile project, a website that connects our energy past with a greater understanding of the present and future. In this week’s episode Peter talks about Energyphile, his online museum and new book, “The Investor Visit and Other Stories.” Listen and don’t forget to visit: https://energyphile.org/ Please...
Feb 08, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 59
This week we interview John Redfern, the President and CEO of Eavor. His company has invented a novel way for harvesting the earth’s geothermal energy based, in part, on their knowledge from drilling oil and gas wells. The solution is called the Eavor-Loop. The technology overcomes many of the issues that have hampered traditional applications. For instance, it is not limited to niche geographies and it circulates naturally, instead of using an energy intense pump. The Eavor-Loop has been succes...
Feb 01, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 58
Corporations and financiers are making big climate commitments. First, we look at Cenovus Energy’s new net-zero 2050 commitment. The oil sands producer joins a club of other Canadian producers with big reduction targets. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced the most ambitious corporate reduction goal yet, to be net-negative in a decade and by 2050 to remove all of their historical emissions dating back to when the company was formed in the 1970s. Starbucks also made a big pledge this week. We finish t...
Jan 25, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 57
This week we interview Doug Suttles, President and CEO of Encana (soon to be Ovintiv). On January 14, 2020 Encana shareholders voted in favour to change the company’s name and to move corporate headquarters from Calgary to Denver. When the plan was first announced last fall, the decision fueled frustration in Alberta creating a vocal reaction from industry leaders and politicians. Doug explains the drivers for the changes, the reaction, and the implications for the firm’s investment in Canada. T...
Jan 17, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 56
This podcast reflects on 2019 to consider the big themes from the year. Next we look forward to think about what 2020 could bring. We reference Canadian oil and gas industry revenue and cash flow in this episode, see more information on the final page of our weekly ARC Energy Charts publication. Related to this podcast, see ARC Commentary “ Big Questions for 2020 .” Please review our disclaimer at : https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/...
Jan 11, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 55
This episode was recorded on December 11th at the Young Women in Energy (YWE) Awards in Calgary. We began by discussing why recognition and the sense of community for women in energy is important. Next, we covered some of the pressing issues in energy and the type of leadership and diversity that is required to navigate these challenges. Katie Smith, the Executive Director of YWE joined us to ask questions submitted by the award winners. Congratulations to this years accomplished award winners! ...
Dec 14, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 54
First we talk about the unveiling of the Tesla Cybertruck. Love it or hate it, you have to admit that Elon Musk puts on a good show. Musk takes a page from past pioneers of new ideas. These entrepreneurs recognized some bravado is needed to get people excited about revolutionary new products. Peter Tertzakian’s Energyphile.org project demonstrates this with the audio story of Max Valier, an early pioneer of rocket powered travel. Link to the audio story here. Next, we interview Regan Davis the C...
Dec 07, 2019•34 min•Season 1Ep. 53
How long do energy transitions take? What is the potential for natural gas and Canadian LNG in the global energy transition? What is the perception of Canadian energy internationally? These are just some of the questions we asked Maria van der Hoeven. Van der Hoeven is a former Dutch politician that headed the International Energy Agency from 2011 to 2015. Under her leadership the IEA expanded its energy coverage and increased engagement with non-member countries. She visited Calgary this past w...
Nov 30, 2019•35 min•Season 1Ep. 52
