Pipeline Online Podcast Ep. 24: Premier Scott Moe Year End
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe joins the Pipeline Online Podcast in his annual year-end interview. The discussion digs into the coal decision, Saskatchewan’s move into nuclear, carbon capture, interties to Alberta’s grid, and the Alberta-Canada MOU. The multilateral well program, oil production goals, Saskatchewan’s new energy and resources minister, lithium and hydrogen are also discussed.
It has significant implications for Saskatchewan, including power generation, interties, nuclear, and, oh yeah, pipelines and oil production.
What the Alberta-Canada pipeline MOU means for Saskatchewan
Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding, verbatim
Carney’s speech on the Canada-Alberta pipeline MOU, verbatim
Canadian Press:
Eby brands pipeline ‘energy vampire’ as First Nations vow it will never happen
Comments and reaction on Ottawa-Alberta pipeline memorandum of understanding
Is this thing the real deal? Guilbeault resigned over it! It was real enough for him to fall on his sword. I really want to write that story but I need to drive four hours Friday morning so it’ll have to wait.
Headlines I am considering:
Christmas does indeed come in November, as Guilbeault resigns
Ding, dong, the climate witch resigned
His legacy unravelled by Carney’s pipeline MOU, Guilbeault quits cabinet
Hot on the heels of returning from COP30, Guilbeault quits over pipeline MOU
At an end his reign is, and not short enough it was: Guilbeault quits (read it in Yoda’s voice)
Canada’s energy bogeyman quits over pipeline MOU
The climate house he build is falling to pieces, so Guilbeault quits
Climate warrior Steven Guilbeault undone by Carney’s pipeline MOU, resigns in protest
The guy who wanted you to freeze in the dark just quit cabinet
Arguably the man most hated by the Canadian energy sector (besides Trudeau) packs it in
All out of CN towers to climb and economies to ruin, Guilbeault walks the plank
I might just use all of them. I’ll probably have a half dozen more when I wake up. Maybe I’ll make a contest for the best headline.
I will publish his entire resignation letter as soon as I’m able.
Brian Zinchuk: If you’re serious, put your Grandma’s old folks home on the prioritized list to turn the lights off in January
Update: Honestly, I didn’t plan this. But 12 hours after I posted the column, this happened:
Alberta wind generation falls to 0.12% capacity late Wednesday night
Budget 2025: Saskatchewan impacts: Industrial carbon tax is back on the menu, tax credits for nuclear
Op-Ed: CAPP on Budget 2025: Saskatchewan’s Place in Canada’s Energy Superpower Ambition
In depth with the minister on Saskatchewan First Energy Security Strategy and Supply Plan
Pipeline Online Popcast, Ep. 20: Estella Petersen, on opportunities for First Nations people in the oilpatch
There could be substantial implications for Saskatchewan as Cameco, Brookfield, Westinghouse and the US Department of Energy put together an $80 billion deal to push Westinghouse reactors.
This is one of the most significant announcements in years.
This plan, if followed, will dramatically reshape Saskatchewan. Nuclear may not be cheap or easy, but it is also transformative in many ways. And as many participants and executives during the conference noted these power stations could last up to 100 years, this really is a case of planting trees so one’s grandchildren can play in the shade.
That plan, in its entirety, is reproduced here on Pipeline Online.
That’s just a part of the in-depth coverage of the conference’s events provided by Pipeline Online. Check out, for instance, the opening question Pipeline Online posed during the scrum portion, and then look at the question asked by other media at 44:51, when another reporter asked, “Can you clarify what you mean of nuclear power sources? Does that mean a nuclear power plant in Saskatchewan?”
“Yes, that’s what we’re talking about here,” Harrison responded.
Remember, she was standing there for 45 minutes, listening to over half an hour of press conference and then 10 minutes of questions to then ask if all this meant a nuclear power plant in Saskatchewan?
You might notice me in the middle of the pack, doing a face-palm.
Where would you prefer to get your energy news?
Federal $2B contribution to Ontario nuclear project has major implications for Saskatchewan
Everything energy in the Saskatchewan Speech from the Throne
Energy CEOs send another open letter to Carney, urging “Build Canada Now”. The list of signatories keeps getting longer…
On nuclear:
SIMSA to lead study to strengthen Saskatchewan’s nuclear supply chain
And for the masses:
Roughriders and Co-op partner to deliver “Community Zone” at Mosaic Stadium
Pipeline Online Podcast Ep. 16: Dr. Chris Keefer, nuclear power advocate
Dr. Chris Keefer is a leading nuclear power generation advocate in Ontario and President Canadians for Nuclear Energy. He’s also a Toronto Emergency Room physician. As Saskatchewan is looking seriously at nuclear power, Ontario has long led the way.
Also:
Brian Crossman: Making choices
The reason we use electric lights instead of candles is because they WORK BETTER. They were not mandated or forced upon the public by the government, nor was the sale candles banned. The statement that conservatives oppose technology is ludicrous. It would no different than saying a member of the liberal party was against computers or the internet.
Pipeline Online Podcast: Aleana Young Ep. 15: Would the Sask NDP reverse the coal decision? And what about nuclear?
It was a pretty lively and interesting podcast.
And here’s the minister’s response to this text story: Coal Revival: Would the NDP reverse the coal decision? And why are they now big on nuclear power?
Minister’s comments:
Coal Revival: Harrison says NDP will shut down coal plants immediately if they were to form government.
BREAKING: SaskPower buys land on Rafferty Reservoir for possible nuclear reactors #saskatchewan #nuclear #SMR
Also:
Saskatchewan is rebuildings its coal fleet. Here’s a chance to hear from Crown Investments Corp and SaskPower Minister Jeremy Harrison explain how this came about. It’s the biggest energy decision in 10 years. If you work in the coal industry in take time this weekend to watch/listen.
Remember when Justin Trudeau told the German Chancellor there was “no business case” for #LNG, and instead took him to Newfoundland where they would use wind power generation to create hydrogen? It turns out there may be no business case for hydrogen.
How a strong wind day led to coal exceeding natural gas power generation on June 8. This story ties in wind, coal, enhanced oil recovery, nuclear and natural gas and their relationships to each other.
Carney’s mandate letter to ministers is dramatically different than Trudeau’s, with climate change an afterthought. Trudeau mentioned climate 27 times in his letter to Steven Guilbeault, 20 times to Jonathan Wilkinson. Carney? Once, and almost in passing.
Another major nuclear announcement, this time in Tennessee, which will have impact on SaskPower’s nuclear ambitions.
This week seems to be dominated by power generation pieces. The announcement in Ontario on Thursday has enormous implications for Saskatchewan, as we’re finally getting a price tag on how much four GE Hitachi BWRX-300 reactors cost. The cost is $20.9 billion, equal to the ENTIRE Saskatchewan 2025 budget. And we’re still very early on in the process, so there’s plenty of time for cost overruns. And we would need four, actually five, to replace our existing coal fleet of 1400 megawatts. The question before Saskatchewan will soon be can we afford nuclear? And if not, do we run coal – even perhaps expand it as our power needs grow?
Ontario greenlights four SMRs identical to the model SaskPower has chosen.
Here’s the verbatim Ontario press release:
Ontario Leads the G7 by Building First Small Modular Reactor
Other news about Saskatchewan oil producers from Canadian Press:
Cenovus Energy reports $859M Q1 profit, raises quarterly dividend
Canadian Natural Resources reports Q1 profit up, record quarterly average production
Pembina Pipeline reports higher profits, revenues for first quarter
Weekend Watch: Are we on the brink of a nuclear revival?
This is a really good video showing many sides of the nuclear debate. Wind, solar and batteries are also discussed.
BIG NEWS: Westinghouse in SK, Part 3: Westinghouse signs MOUs with six Saskatchewan companies. When they say modular, they mean modular.
Despite Thursday’s partial tariff reprieve, Saskatchewan still cutting off US alcohol sales and procurement. This story is moving so fast, I had to update it twice before publishing. It might be out of date by Friday morning.
South Bow says tariffs could create challenges in its marketing segment (this is the spin-off company from TC Energy that operates Keystone Pipeline)
ROK Resources releases 2025 budget guidance, CEO discuss possible tariff impacts
Op-Ed: Aleana Young: Prairie Powerbroker: Energy Sovereignty and Economic Security for Saskatchewan.
Note: count how many times coal is mentioned.
Brian Zinchuk: How much might building SMRs cost Saskatchewan Hint: it’s not cheap.
This is a major piece talking about the costs that could be incurred building small modular reactors. Those costs could be unobtainable, which is why coal is back on the table in a big way.
The numbers come from the Tennessee Valley Authority, who already operate three nuclear plants and is the largest utility in the US. They plan on building the same model of reactor.
Also:
Moe proclaims pipeline projects “pre-approved,” Smith joins in.
I’m not sure how a provincial government can pre-approve something it has no regulatory power over.