Author: Brian Zinchuk

LNG, NDP electrical plan and Spaceballs

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 4 Comments

Brian Zinchuk: LNG, the NDP’s electrical plan and Spaceballs

End of series on NDP’s electrical plan:

Digging deep on the NDP’s “Grid & Growth” plan for Saskatchewan’ electrical grid, Part 3: Wind, Solar, Storage, Transmission & Interties

Digging deep on the NDP’s “Grid & Growth” plan for Saskatchewan’ electrical grid, Part 4: Governance, Labour, Carbon Taxes & Rates

SaskPower minister responds to NDP Grid and Growth Plan

Also:

SaskPower and Bruce Power sign memorandum of understanding to inform Saskatchewan large reactor technology assessment

Frontier Centre for Public Policy: Lee Harding: Canada is losing billions by holding back its oil and gas industry

Sask NDP’s big plan for the electrical grid: Hint – lots of wind and solar, and natural gas

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 7 Comments

I spent 11 hours working on this story, which I broke into four parts. These are the first two, the next two will come out early next week.

The NDP again want to see coal-fired power go away, “as practical.” The want to convert coal plants to natural gas, even though Saskatchewan has lots of coal but not much in the way of natural gas anymore. We drilled ten gas wells over the last decade, and Alberta did that many by noon today.

There is of course the obligatory massive buildout of wind and solar, and storage. And just coincidentally, three hours after the press conference, wind output in Alberta fell to next to nothing, again.

Digging deep on the NDP’s “Grid & Growth” plan for Saskatchewan’ electrical grid, Part 1

Part 2: Nuclear

NDP want to increase net-metering rate

Also:

Jim Warren: A History of Oil Production and Price Crises 1973-1991

Wildcatting in Greenland. Seriously

Drill, Baby, Drill 28 Comments

Stampede Drilling is going to wildcat in Greenland – and that’s no joke

Stampede Drilling, originally founded in Estevan, is sending a drilling rig to Greenland, yes, Greenland, to drill for oil. This is about as wildcat as you can possibly get, in one of the most inaccessible and hostile places on the planet.
This is NOT an April Fool’s joke, either.

(For those unfamiliar with the term, wildcatting means drilling for oil or gas in an area not previously developed. It’s a highly risky venture.) https://glossary.slb.com/terms/w/wildcat

Who lit the blowtorch to that bridge first?

Great Moments In Socialism 15 Comments

Was it Lewis with his anti-everything policies, or Beck, with her more pragmatic you-re-a-nut-job-stay-away response?

Beck’s frosty letter to new federal NDP Leader Avi Lewis over energy and resource policies

“The positions that you have taken when it comes to natural resource development are ideological and unrealistic. They would hurt Saskatchewan workers, communities, and industries.” – Carla Beck

Coal three ways – four, actually

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 10 Comments

Three in-depth pieces on coal-fired power today:

NDP say coal refurbishment will double electricity rates by 2050, prefer natural gas and renewables instead

NDP analysis of coal refurbishment and its impact on rates, in depth

SaskPower Minister responds to NDP study on refurbishing coal and its impact on rates

In cased you missed this major related story on Monday:

BREAKING: Data centre hinges on dispatchable baseload power, including coal refurbishment

I would like to point out that the Leader Post, CTV and CBC failed to mention, or perhaps even realize, that it will be coal powering that new data centre in Regina. Where did they think that power is going to come from? I know! Solar, at night!

 

Could Iran be the next “Forever War?”

Drill, Baby, Drill 55 Comments

Weekend Watch: The Iran War Expert: I Simulated The Iran War for 20 Years. Here’s What Happens Next.

While watching this, consider if the Iran War does become a forever war, what will it’s impact be on oil production, delivery through the Strait of Hormuz or lack thereof, the world economy, Canadian and Saskatchewan oil production could be profound and last years? Could this lead to a global recession, but good times for our oilpatch? Remember the $147 WTI barrel of July, 2008, led to the global financial crisis that September. Some of us are still bearing the scars of that.

I know I am.

The case for Westinghouse reactors, LNG, black mark and Timbits

Drill, Baby, Drill Radioactive 11 Comments
Two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at Vogtle. Cameco photo

Saskatchewan is the battleground between the AtkinsRealis (SNC-Lavalin/former AECL) CANDU reactor and the Cameco/Brookfield-owned Westinghouse AP1000 reactor. I’d digging as deep as I can to provide context for Saskatchewan decision makers who will be making this decision. In recent weeks I had two podcasts on the CANDU. This is the first on the Westinghouse. What’s really significant here is the Westinghouse ownership is now fully Canadian companies, even though the design is American. And in November or so, Trump’s administration said they’d build 10 of them.

Pipeline Online Podcast Ep. 31: Dr. Grant Isaac, Pres. & COO of Cameco on SK buying Westinghouse reactors. There were technical difficulties which shortened our time, so we’re going to take another run at it in the near future.

Also:

This is a really good discussion on LNG:

Decouple Media: The Terrible, No Good week for LNG

Black mark on industry (I hate it when this happens):

Alberta landowners take stand over years of missed payments by delinquent oil company

It turns out Pipeline Online isn’t the only one to use a Timbit as a unit of monetary measure. Maybe they got the idea from Pipeline Online? Here’s the Canadian Press story:

What will the carbon price cost the oilsands? A Timbit per barrel, one analysis says

Place your bets!

Drill, Baby, Drill 44 Comments

Brian Zinchuk: Place your bets! What will the oil price be due to the Iran war?

I’m guessing oil prices are going to shoot up really high, in short order.

I just got in my inbox this morning:

  • QatarEnergy halts LNG production at the world’s largest plant
  • European gas prices up 48% from Friday levels
  • No LNG vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz
  • Around 20% of global LNG supply effectively cut off

But there was “No business case” for Canadian LNG. Or Energy East, for that matter.

Also:

AtkinsRéalis’ Case for CANDU Part 2: A Canada-wide fleet purchase?

On the topic of nuclear power: Mike Harris, former premier of Ontario, will be talking nuclear power generation on the Pipeline Online Podcast on Tues., Mar. 3, at 10 a.m. Join us live on X at https://x.com/Pipeline_Online. I plan on asking about the big picture considerations on nuclear power.

On Alberta, and maybe Saskatchewan, walking away

#WalkAway youmightbeinsaskatchewan 55 Comments

Brian Crossman: Alberta (and Saskatchewan?) Separation

From the column:

“The list of countries and empires that have broken up over that past several hundred years is not a short one. Sudan split into two countries by referendum in 2011. Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Egypt and Syria and many others. The Soviet Union, the British Empire are gone, the United States came close in 1861, and there is no promise that the republic will endure forever. Will Canada, or the world map look the same in 50 to 100 years? I’m betting not, and it seems pretty arrogant to think otherwise.”

Some may question why is this relevant to Saskatchewan? It is my understanding that recent polling showed support for separation a few weeks ago was 2 per cent higher in Saskatchewan than it is in Alberta. So it’s relevant.

Here’s a thought experiment which could turn into a column: If Alberta and possibly Saskatchewan were to separate – do they really need much of a military? To defend against who, the pot smokers of Vancouver? Do they need a navy? Nope. No water, unless they snag Prince Rupert and Kitimat – which could happen, if the rednecks invade the Left Coast. But even then, no real navy would be needed. Air force? Probably not much of one for that, either. Who are they going to bomb, Timmins, Ont? That’s a lot of money saved right there, on top of ditching equalization.

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