20 of 42 solar facilities, 30 of 44 wind facilities in Alberta produce no power at noon on Friday
Canada introduces framework to cap greenhouse gas pollution from oil and gas sector: verbatim
From Canadian Press:
Cap on greenhouse gas emissions singles out Alberta, Premier Smith says
Oil and gas sector warns emissions cap could lead to production curtailments
So says the feds. Because of course it is. Thanks, Guilbeault and Wilkinson.
Oh, and the country with the largest oil reserves in the world is a failing state because of two decades of socialism. So what are they going to do? Invade their neighbour, to grab more oil. We don’t get a lot of nation-state wars and invasions in this hemisphere, but we might see one with days.
Guyana’s president says his country is preparing to defend itself from Venezuela over disputed area
And for something completely different,
(Yes, I know the graphic says 32nd year. It was originally published 6 years ago, and as updated, as it still applies today. No aircraft carrier for me, or likely you, either. But you know you wanted one.)
The carbon tax on farmers, and Bill C-234, according to Quick Dick McDick.
Do y’all like gladiator movies? What’s better than a bunch of big men trying to kill each other with swords, axes, spears and just good old fashioned bare fists. Not much in my opinion. It’s like UFC, except there is all that blood, dismemberment and death. The classic line by Russell Crowe in Gladiator “Are you not entertained?” always come to mind.
Like all screwed up stories in Canada lately, this one begins with our fearless leader, Justin Trudeau.
COP28: Saskatchewan, and over 50 companies and organizations, will be in the room where it happens
No carbon tax on electrical home heat from SaskPower, says Moe
Wind drops to 0.9% output in Alberta on Thursday. Again.
Shipper costs to rise as regulator approves preliminary interim Trans Mountain tolls
I’ve been on the road, so there’s a whole lot to get caught up on:
Clean Electricity Regulations:
Saskatchewan and Alberta are tag-teaming the fight with Ottawa on the Clean Electricity Regulations. First, Alberta says on Monday it will use its Sovereignty Act (and Guilbeault has something to say about that). Then Saskatchewan names its tribunal panelists to look into the Clean Electricity Regulations and the harm they will do to the province. One of the panelists is Ken From, former CEO of SaskEnergy and occasional columnist for Pipeline Online. Another is former NDP finance minister and deficit-slayer Janice MacKinnon.
Wilkinson says Ottawa has always been flexible on clean energy rules. Yeah, right. A Canadian Press story.
CO2
Oilsands producers confident in their massive carbon capture project.
Pipelines:
Enbridge is finally, really, totally, completely done on Line 3 replacement. Really.
Coastal GasLink pipeline, the one to feed LNG Canada and finally allow LNG exports, has now been hydrotested and is now mechanically complete.
Nuclear, small and large:
Saskatchewan funds the Saskatchewan Research Council getting its first micro reactor. Notably, it’s a Westinghouse eVinci. Who closed its 49% purchase of Westinghouse a few weeks ago? Cameco.
SNC-Lavalin under a new name launches its first 1000 megawatt CANDU reactors.
The biggest opponent to nuclear development in Saskatchewan for decades was NDP MLA and cabinet minister Peter Prebble. Guess who is now complaining about Saskatchewan’s greenhouse gas emissions? – a Zinchuk column
Misc.
A huge change occurred in Saskatchewan media, with the retirement of John Gormley, the king of talk radio in the Land of Living Skies for the last 25 years. His replacement is former Regina Police Service chief Evan Bray.
In August, Steven Guilbeault released the draft Clean Electricity Regulations which mean to remake our entire country in just 11 years.
On Nov. 2, Saskatchewan told them where to go. Today, they said publicly how to get there.
Three stories:
‘It just isn’t possible’ – SaskPower Minister in-depth response to Clean Electricity Regulations.
SaskPower response to the Clean Electricity Regulations: ‘Not possible from technological, financial and logistical perspectives‘
Saskatchewan response to the Clean Electricity Regulations: Unaffordable, unconstitutional and unobtainable.
The Nisga’a signed one of the first modern treaties in 1999, and is well on its way to making a final decision next year on the development of a multi-billion dollar LNG facility, with the backing of numerous natural gas producers, including Crescent Point Energy. But its neighbouring First Nation, the Lax Kw’alaams, are standing in the way. In the meantime, the world isn’t waiting and another opportunity for Canadian LNG is going down the tubes (posted last week).
Also: Senator Pamela Wallin was doing video interviews decades before Zoom existing. Last week she spoke to Pipeline Online editor and owner Brian Zinchuk regarding electrification, EVs, fuel economy, nuclear power, heat pumps, carbon tax and whole lot more.
Speaking of which, the Epoch Times picked up Zinchuk’s recent column on five year plans for the “Just Transition.” Since that publication’s driving purpose is to fight against the Chinese Communist Party, they might know a thing or two about how five year plans went there.
Before, it was talk. Now, the Saskatchewan government takes action on home heating carbon tax.
Pipeline Online did In depth interview with the woman at the centre of the carbon tax storm, Conservative Natural Resources Critic Shannon Stubbs. This is part 1.
Also, hope for rising oil prices to lead to an increase in activity were dashed, so one of Saskatchewan’s serial entrepreneurs relocated one of his operations, based in Regina, to North Dakota, instead. Anyone care to guess why Canada’s oilpatch didn’t see an uptick in activity, and does it rhyme with “Doh?”
Brian Zinchuk: To save the world, the Liberals got what they wanted, but now they don’t want what they got
Also, Saskatchewan MLA stand united on the carbon tax fight, even if not paying the carbon tax might be illegal.
It was a full year ago when the Saskatchewan First Act was introduced and then brought into law. But now the provincial government is going to use it to fight the federal government’s climate change initiatives on Clean Electricity Regulations, Clean Fuel Standard, and an incoming emissions cap for oil and gas.
And here’s why:
Another day of near-flatline wind power production in Alberta on Wednesday. 13 of 38 wind farms produce 1 megawatt, or less (as in zero) for 24 hours. Several of those had capacities in the 100 to 200 megawatt range. And all the got was one, for a few minutes at a time.
And despite renewables clearly failing miserably, as noted above, Canada needs to move faster on renewable energy, Jonathan Wilkinson says.
There were some other energy issues raised in Wednesday’s Throne Speech.
What, actually caring about profits is bad now?
Kruger said his comments were misinterpreted as Suncor ending its commitment to curbing its carbon footprint, when the focus is really on ensuring the company is making profits now to be able to afford the required investments in decarbonization.
Also, North American Helium opens its seventh helium processing facility in Saskatchewan. For those who might be counting, that’s the fourth in less than a year.
And Tourmaline buys Bonavista Energy
And the Energy Transition Podcast talks about threats multiplying to global energy security.
Here’s Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s response, verbatim. I like doing these verbatim pieces because it allows the reader to hear the full-throated discussion, without a filter. It’s interesting how she talks about how the $20.6 billion Teck Frontier oilsands mine was killed by the No More Pipelines Act. That’s not chump change. Anyone think they might reconsider it? (That’s a trick question – Teck has since abandoned and sold off its oilsands interests – for obvious reasons.)
Also, after nearly three years of work since it drilled its first well near Climax, Saskatchewan, Royal Helium has entered into production with its first helium facility near Brooks, Alberta. This is transformational for the company, as it turns Royal from an explorer with no revenue to a helium producer, with revenue. Indeed, its production is already locked up in sales, so strong is the demand. And expect their next focus to likely be in Saskatchewan.
I’ll have another significant helium story posted for Tuesday morning. Exciting times, this.
Dr. Tammy Nemeth has been warning about this in her recent podcasts, and now the head of the TSX is doing the same. Small-cap companies not ready for climate disclosure rules: TMX Group CEO. Start counting those Scope 3 emissions, folks.
Along those lines, if they can’t protest you to extinction, they’ll litigate you. Greenpeace files securities complaint against Suncor over climate risk disclosures.
If I take part in #protests, can I claim some sort of journalist protection, too? RCMP dispute photojournalist’s account of arrest while covering pipeline protest
Hey, wasn’t this the guy behind the Kesytone Pipeline projects in the first place? TC Energy names former CEO Hal Kvisle as chair of new liquids pipeline spinoff.
And from the day before, Exxon buys Pioneer Natural for $59.5 billion. And here’s what it could mean for Canada. Isn’t that something like three times Canada’s entire defence budget?
Oh, and a University of Calgary prof is taking tactics out of a U of R prof’s handbook (I don’t think it’s the Communist Manifesto, but I could be wrong). Academic report calls for public inquiry into Alberta Energy Regulator. (The U of R prof sued her own university a while back, and yet is still employed.)
In Pipeline Online’s neverending quest to let the public know exactly what our federal government & Steven Guilbeault is telling us about climate change, here is a verbatim, unfiltered press release from Oct. 12 regarding the carbon tax in New Brunswick.
And our favourite minister, Steven Guilbeault, announced “Canada’s Circular Economy month in October.” Except instead of doing so on the 1st of the month, he did it on the 12. Maybe circular months have no beginning, no end. Think of Groundhog Day, with Steven Guilbeault telling us every day, forever, how we are horrible people…
It’s almost as if he’s making a business case for LNG. Imagine that. You know, the same thing the prime minister said there was no business case for? This is the verbatim speech he gave on Friday in Toronto.
Energy Transition Podcast Ep. 84: Coal is back – in fact, it was never gone.
Here’s something new – the Kindersley area took over half the dollars in the Crown petroleum right land sale last week. That’s highly unusual.
And, of course the Just about but not quite complete TMX pipeline will desecrate a sacred site.
Getting caught up on some energy items from Pipeline Online:
Letter to the editor on why activity levels are so low in the Saskatchewan oilpatch
“How low?” you ask. Just 29 drilling rigs working in Saskatchewan Oct. 3 (10 years ago, that number would have been around 90. During the depths of the downturn, it would have been 40-50.)
Tammy Nemeth’s podcast talks about net-zero red tape for small and medium enterprises in Canada. You think you have paperwork now…
Enbridge’s CEO had a lot to say this week:
Enbridge CEO op-ed on delivering LNG to global markets, reducing global CO2 emissions and supporting energy security. (He did a long speech, which I’ll be posting verbatim, if I have a chance).
Enbridge CEO calls for national Indigenous loan guarantee program so they can buy into energy projects, like pipelines.
And what do we need pipelines for when rail works so well? Except for when it doesn’t. Undetected broken rail causes fiery crude-by-rail derailment.
And for something completely different: A farmer, a pump shop manager and a superintendent walk into a liquor store … and buy it. No joke.
As a followup to yesterday’s column:
Brian Zinchuk: Some suggestions for the #Saskatchewan government to stimulate activity in the province’s oilpatch.
It turns out that carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery is more significant than even I thought, and I’ve been writing about if for 15 years. It accounts for a huge number of the top 100 conventional oil wells in Saskatchewan. Huge. And it proves out the significance and importance of CO2-EOR. Imagine what we could do across Saskatchewan with access to a lot more CO2? That’s going to have to be a column, methinks.
Also, oil is over US$90/barrel for the first time in quite a while. That’s going to be pretty important for Saskatchewan, as I was made aware today that potash prices have tanked. They are down by half year over year.
