ARC ENERGY IDEAS

Last Friday, November 26, oil prices dropped $US 10/B after a new COVID variant named Omicron was discovered. The same day, the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) made a historic decision to deny Enbridge’s application to enter into long-term contracts for 90% of the Mainline oil pipeline.Jackie and Peter discuss the volatile oil markets, the possible impacts to global oil demand and the significance of the CER’s decision to keep Canada’s dominant pipeline open access for all.View the CER's full decision on the Enbridge Mainline Contracting Application (link).Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

This week our guest is Andrew Weaver. He is a climate scientist, professor at the University of Victoria, and former leader of the British Columbia Green Party. Here are some of the questions we asked Andrew: Why did you decide to become a politician? Is climate change contributing to BC’s extreme weather this year? How obtainable is the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC? You have publicly supported the Liberal and BC climate plans, why did you face some criticism for this support? Why are you not supportive of BC LNG?Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

This week Larry Burns joins our podcast. Larry is a Business Advisor on Mobility, Logistics, Manufacturing, Energy and Innovation—in short, he is a guru in the area of self-driving vehicles and mobility.Here are some of the questions we asked Larry:  What level of autonomous driving has been achieved? Do people want fully autonomous vehicles? How would self-driving work for long distance heavy hauling? What about the “last mile” deliveries? Can self-driving work in extreme weather conditions, like the Canadian winter? How far in the future are flying taxis?To connect with Larry Burns, visit his website: lawrencedburns.orgPlease review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

We start this week’s podcast sharing thoughts on the first week of the COP26 climate conference currently underway in Glasgow, Scotland. Highlights include the major goals of the conference and the announcement of a major initiative to mobilize private finance led by Mark Carney. We also cover the recent price inflation for oil and gas, including OPEC+, US shale oil and the importance of winter weather. See Morgan Brazilian’s article “Make the COP Boring Again.”Learn more about the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero and read “Building a Private Finance System for Net Zero.”Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

This week, Dr. Arthur Turrell, author of the recently published book “The Star Builders – Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet” joins the podcast. Arthur has a PhD in plasma physics and writes about fusion energy in a way that makes sense for the average person. Here are some of the questions Peter and Jackie asked Arthur: What are the advantages of fusion energy? How does it differ from nuclear fission? The National Ignition Facility (NIF) made global news this past summer breaking the previous records for fusion energy, why was this result significant? Realistically, how long before nuclear fusion is a commercial reality?To learn more about Arthur Turrell, visit his homepage: http://aeturrell.com/Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

On this week’s episode we interview Barbara Zvan, inaugural President and CEO of the University Pension Plan in Ontario. Barb is recognized as a leading voice on sustainable investing and was appointed to  the Canadian Government’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance that released recommendations for increasing the amount of sustainable investment in Canada in 2019. Barbara tell us about a new initiative, called Climate Engagement Canada (CEC). CEC is a group of Canadian investors with $3 trillion of assets under management that will ask Canadian companies to be part of a just transition to net zero emissions. The initiative has leveraged Barbara’s leadership along with involvement from UN PRI, RIA Canada, SHARE and CERES. Barbara also provided an update on other sustainable finance activities in Canada, including the development of a Canadian taxonomy for green investing and new diversity initiatives.To learn more about Climate Engagement Canada (CEC), visit their website: https://climateengagement.ca/Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

This week, Matthew J. Sagers, Vice President at IHS Markit and head of the Russian and Caspian Energy Advisory service joins the podcast. Here are some of the questions we asked Matt Sagers: Why is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline so controversial? Why isn’t Russia ramping-up its natural gas exports to help Europe? Will the high prices for energy now accelerate the energy transition or slow it down? How do Russian oil and gas companies rate for ESG? Could Russia increase its oil production?To learn more about Matthew J. Sagers and connect, check out his page on the IHS Markit website.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

In this week’s podcast, Peter and Jackie talk about why the lack of charging infrastructure in North America is holding back the adoption of electric vehicles (EV). The charging problem is amplified because Canada and the United States do not mandate a standard electrical plug-in.Read Jackie’s commentary “Canada EV Mass Adoption: Are We There Yet?”Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

Europe is heading into winter with historically low inventories of natural gas. The scarcity has driven up the global prices of every type of energy, including natural gas, coal and oil. Despite the rising commodity prices, energy supply has not been growing. On this week’s podcast, Jackie and Peter discuss the European energy crisis and the lessons it provides for energy security and energy transition. They also cover the results of the recent Canadian federal election and what can be expected for energy and climate policy in Canada.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

On this week’s Podcast, Jackie and Peter discuss how inflation and affordability have come into the spotlight. How is inflation measured and how much has it increased? What is the connection between oil price and inflation? And, if a more sustained period of inflation were to occur, what are the implications?See Peter’s recent commentary “A New Episode of the Oil Cycle: Inflation.”Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/