As we woke up Sunday morning, the news was about Cenovus and Husky’s plan to merge and create a new “resilient intergraded energy leader.”  The consolidation wave has been gaining momentum in Canada’s oil patch for some time, but this is the biggest announcement yet. On this week’s episode, Peter and Jackie analyze the drivers for industry consolidation by reviewing ARC’s Fiscal Pulse of the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry for 2020. Low prices have slowed the fiscal pulse. This, along with pressure to return money to shareholders and liquidity issues, are catalysts for industry consolidation.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

This week’s guest is Daniel Yergin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and authority on everything energy. We discuss Dan’s new book “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations.”Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie asked him: How has the US shale revolution changed the global energy order? Is the geopolitics of oil a non-issue now? What is the growing conflict between the United States and China? If Joe Biden were to win the US election, how could this change relations with Iran and the oil supply? Will Saudi Arabia diversify its economy by 2030? How fast will the energy transition occur?Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ ‘

On this week’s episode we discuss Alberta’s recently released “Natural Gas Vision and Strategy” that outlines petrochemicals, LNG, hydrogen, and plastic recycling as priorities for the government. We also talk about the province’s announcement around developing geothermal regulation.Next up, we consider the implications to lending and investing now that some banks are targeting net-zero emissions across their customers by 2050. Finally, we debate why companies should consider making net-zero 2050 targets.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

When it comes to energy, Alberta is most known for its large oil and gas industry. However, the province also has emerging new energy potential, including blue hydrogen, geothermal, minerals and carbon capture and storage (CCS). Alberta’s Energy Minister, the Honourable Sonya Savage, joined the podcast this week. Here are some of the questions we asked her: How are companies coping with the oil market crisis? What is your take on the federal government’s throne speech and plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050? Is Joe Biden a risk to the province’s investment in the Keystone XL pipeline? What are the emerging energy technologies to watch for in Alberta?Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

We start this week’s podcast talking about the Energyphile Vignette “Decarbonization Lessons from Edison.” Thomas Edison’s strategy for electrification provides learnings for today’s energy transition. We also cover recent energy headlines: BP’s prediction that oil demand will peak soon. California’s summer power blackouts and the state's pledge to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles by 2035. Canada also has big targets for the adoption of electric cars, but could Canada also become a leader in producing EVs?Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/  

This week our guest is Duncan Van Bergen, Vice President of Nature Based Solutions for Royal Dutch Shell. What exactly are nature-based solutions?  Duncan explains how Shell is harnessing nature to help achieve Shell’s ambitious GHG emission reduction targets. We learned that nature is a powerful weapon in the flight against climate change. Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie asked Duncan: What are some examples of nature carbon storage projects? Do the economics and scale compare with other carbon storage options? How do you respond to the greenwashing criticism?  Will consumers pay more to offset their emissions with nature? What is the opportunity in Canada for these solutions?Yale 360 Feb 2019 blog reported that "Planting 1.2 Trillion Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions, Scientists Find."Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

A recently published Transition Accelerator report suggests that hydrogen could represent a $C 100 billion per year economic opportunity for Canada. This week our guests are Dan Wicklum, President and CEO of the Transition Accelerator and David Layzell, Research Director at the Transition Accelerator, Professor and Director, Canadian Energy Systems Analysis Research (CESAR), University of Calgary. Dan Wicklum and David Layzell explain why Canada has a cost advantage for producing blue and green hydrogen. However, successfully building a new hydrogen economy in Canada is complex. It requires the simultaneous build out of new production and consumption systems, and government policy will be critically important.Download the Transition Accelerator report “Towards Net-Zero Energy Systems in Canada: A Key Role for Hydrogen.”See Peter’s latest Energyphile Vinette “Hijacking Infrastructure.” Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

This week we have a special guest,  Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA.  Dr. Birol provides his global energy perspectives, both on the current situation with the pandemic and how the future may unfold. Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie asked him:  Has oil demand peaked?  Does the pandemic speed up or slow down the transition to cleaner energy?  Are you optimistic that that the world can achieve the Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS) and decarbonisation by 2050?  What is the potential for emerging zero emission technologies, including hydrogen, small nuclear reactors and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)? What about natural gas demand? How can Canada improve its stature in the energy world? Check out the IEA’s website, including the recent Sustainable Recovery report (that suggests global spending of $1 trillion annually is needed for three years to support economic recovery and to accelerate the energy transition). The Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS) assumes the world delivers on holding the average long term temperature increase to less than 2 degrees C. Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/  

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 Reactors (SMRs); leadership with Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS); and policy matters, including Saskatchewan’s concerns about the proposed Federal Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) and incentives for CCUS projects.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

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? How material are the reserve write-downs? Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/