Boundary Dam Unit 4 fired up on April 22, and it’s more significant than you might think
Up until now, the coal-fired power refurbishment may have seemed like a lot of talk. On Wednesday, April 22, it became real. And that’s significant for a number of reasons.
Not the least of which is it is in total defiance of federal coal regulations. Saskatchewan is giving Ottawa the bird.
Supreme Court rules for Michigan in its fight to shut down an aging energy pipeline. This pipeline moves a LOT of Saskatchewan oil.
Enbridge gets federal approval for $4B natural gas pipeline expansion in B.C.
What you need to know about the new Enbridge LNG pipeline approval
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says fracking opponents are drowning out other voices
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
Op-Ed: Del Mondor: Well…that was an interesting 39 days of people finding out about the Strait of Hormuz
Please name the last wind farm to do this:
Cenovus Energy Invests $2 Million in Lakeland College
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
NDP want to increase net-metering rate
Also:
Jim Warren: A History of Oil Production and Price Crises 1973-1991
Glenn Reynolds (Update from Kate): Word is that one of the targets struck today was a collection of airplanes the mullahs had set up for fleeing the country. That may have had something to do with this.
NexGen and Denison Mines uranium mine projects both going ahead
With four reactors under construction in Ontario and 18 more under consideration across Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta, we’re going to need them.
Kate, we need a fission, baby, fission category for these nuclear pieces, please?
Tammy Nemeth & Ron Wallace: Two standards for one Canada
Another tale of what’s good for Eastern Canada differs significantly from what’s allowed for Western Canada.
Energy Realities Podcast: The World On Edge Fuel Rationing Begining
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
The Saskatchewan coal refurbishment plan, laid out by year until 2035.
This is the most detail I’ve seen so far, laying out expected cost per unit, and a year-by-year plan to rebuild them. And I go into some detail into how much cheaper this would be than building new natural gas-fired power plants. It’s a lot.
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
On coal refurbishments: NDP focus on cost, Sask Party focus on reliability
The Iran War is causing an energy crisis: Doomberg on Decouple and Soar Financially
Pipeline Online columnist Bronwyn Eyre was presented with the inaugural Cartier-Macdonald award from the Canadian Constitution Foundation. Here’s her acceptance speech:
Brian Zinchuk: Did the Multi-Lateral Well Program shoot ourselves in the foot when it comes to provincial revenues?
Also, Decouple Media: The Reactor Canada Forgot How to Sell
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!
BREAKING: Data centre hinges on dispatchable baseload power, including coal refurbishment. Without coal power, it’s unlikely this would be happening.
Also, I will be posting for tomorrow morning two in-depth stories on the NDP’s study into the impact of coal refurbishment on SaskPower rates.
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.
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
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:
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.
BREAKING: US and Israel attack Iran, Trump lists 47 years of hostility as reason
I transcribed Trump’s entire speech – a declaration of war without calling it a declaration of war. That’s soooo 1940s, I guess.