Tag: pipelines

Rigs, pipelines, lost opportunity and some hardware

Drill, Baby, Drill 14 Comments

The hollowing out of Canada’s industrial base continues. A few people said there’s been some new rigs built, but I’ve been told by the industry association those were retrofits.

Are more drilling rigs going to be decommissioned? And have we forgotten how to build new ones?

Jet turbines used to make pipelines work in UK (here, too, but the video is about the UK)

Weekend Watch: Jet engines that power a nation

Canada really has two significant competitors when it comes to providing heavy oil to the US Gulf Coast refinery complex – Venezuela and Mexico. Venezuela’s been driving its self off a cliff in its socialist paradise. And it looks like Mexico’s exports are likely going to collapse, too, according to Peter Zeihan. Gee, if only Keystone XL had been built to supply our heavy oil to their refineries built for that product…

Peter Zeihan: The self-inflicted downfall of Mexican energy

And, well, I guess I’ll include this, too. Vi Day is very important. The other guy wasn’t sure why he was included, but was honoured to be.

Vi Day, Brian Zinchuk among King Charles III Coronation Medal recipients

Jordan Peterson: In Defense of Canada

Insufferable Twits Military 25 Comments

This video has little to do with energy and everything to do with how this country’s military has gone to hell in a handbasket. Dr. Jordan Peterson speaks with retired a retired three-star admiral and former head of the Royal Canadian Navy, a three-star army general and a retired air force major. They tear apart DEI and the woke reality in the military today.
If you care at all about the Canadian Armed Forces, or ever served, you should watch or listen to this.

Also, on the nuclear front:

‘Ontario’s moment:’ Minister says Canada building blueprint for nuclear energy future

And it turns out pipelines make money. Who’da thunk it?

Enbridge makes progress on utility purchases; raises earnings forecast

Honey! It’s finished!

Drill, Baby, Drill 5 Comments

Well, they finally finished that pipeline to the Left Coast. In other parts of the world, this is May Day, the Workers holiday. Here, maybe it should be Pipeline Day?

And the Saskatchewan government is pretty excited about this multilateral well program. They announced it for a third time yesterday. This story provides more detail on how it could reinvigorate cold heavy oil production in the Lloydminster area.

Alberta’s getting behind geothermal development.

 

 

Build a pipeline, things pick up. Who woulda thunk it?

Drill, Baby, Drill 8 Comments

Anyone think that new pipeline might actually make a real difference? Hmmm? Too bad it wasn’t done five years ago. Trans Mountain pipeline project ushers in new era for oilsands hub Fort McMurray.

And too bad Northern Gateway wasn’t built 8 years ago. And Energy East was supposed to be in service December, 2018. Lots of too bads. I wonder why…

So I take my kid to a career day in Estevan, THE ENERGY CITY, and not one energy company has a table at the career fair. Here’s my not too impressed column about it.

Cenovus got spanked for an offshore oil spill.

And if you move dirt, ever, in Saskatchewan, you should be aware of Sask 1st Call. They had some big changes last year, apparently.

About bloody time

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 12 Comments
Mountain 3 Horizontal Directional Drill pullback in the Fraser Valley between Hope and Chilliwack, BC. Trans Mountain

Six years ago, they scratched dirt on TMX. Finally, FINALLY, it is nearing completion, and expected to enter service May 1.

The original pipeline was built over 65 years ago with equipment that largely didn’t even have hydraulics, and absolutely did not have computers, GPS, laser measurement or anything else like that. And they did it in 16 months.

Also:

Brian Zinchuk on Evan Bray Show: Multilateral wells, oil royalties, TMX pipeline, lithium, helium and more

Carbon and lithium

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 5 Comments

Working through the periodic table:

Lithium in SK, Part 27: Lithium Bank sells Estevan area land to unnamed buyer

Those Lloydminster folks aren’t too happy about the carbon tax.

Nor are a bunch of other people happy about the carbon tax.

And regarding hydrogen and carbon in the form of methane and other natural gas liquids,

Pembina closes Alliance Pipeline deal with Enbridge

As a note, The Alliance Pipeline runs right through Saskatchewan. I started work on it three weeks after my May, 1999 wedding. I was the only guy on my road bore crew of 12 married once! Most were on their second marriage, a few on their third, one I think on his fourth. At that point you walk into a bar, find a woman you don’t like, and give her your house.

In six weeks, it’ll be 25 years for us. So that pipeline project has some meaning for me.

 

Will a First Nation-owned pipeline be without protests and opposition?

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill Insufferable Twits The Tolerant Left We Are All Treaty People 15 Comments

Can’t imagine why oil shippers demand explanation from Trans Mountain for pipeline cost overruns, can you?

B.C. First Nation and Western LNG partner to purchase natural gas pipeline project. Can they succeed in bringing a major pipeline in on time and on budget, or will they face the same perils as Trans Mountain (above) and Coastal GasLink? Will other First Nations do all they can to halt it, like GasLink? Will they destroy equipment and raid camps?

US Bureau of Land Management accepts bids for the sale of Federal Helium System. FYI the US Govt getting out of #helium is what’s driving Saskatchewan’s burgeoning industry

Hey, about that pipeline?

Drill, Baby, Drill Ethical Energy 14 Comments

Brian Zinchuk: If Poilievre wins a massive majority, can we PLEASE build the Energy East Pipeline?

(I’m fairly certain Premier Moe is tired about me asking about this. I was still talking about it two years ago, which was four years after it was supposed to have been completed. But it’s worth a shot.)

 

UPDATE: It appears Premier Scott Moe agrees:

 

Pipeline chicken or the egg?

Drill, Baby, Drill 9 Comments

Pipeline capacity gets restrained, slowing growth in oil production. Pipelines get built (Enbridge Line 3 replacement, Trans Mountain Expansion, eventually) allowing for oil production to grow. Oil production will soon grow to use up all that extra capacity, and production growth will be restrained, again.

So then what? I’m not aware of ANY major new export pipelines projects being considered. After Northern Gateway, Keystone XL and Energy East being canned, who would? And after the federal government proved you could go 6x, maybe closer to 7x over budget building a pipeline they way they want it built, what idiot will try again?

The alternative will have to be crude-by-rail. Oh, lovely.

(That pipeline photos is of a tiny gathering pipeline near Estevan, not a mammoth transmission line.)

 

As for another fan (NOT) of crude by rail, Quick Dick McDick hauled canola recently. And sang about it. Seriously.

Enbridge sells one of its babies

Drill, Baby, Drill 8 Comments

Enbridge sells Alliance Pipeline, Aux Sable to Pembina Pipeline

This is part of a continuing trend of Enbridge selling assets to enhance its American expansion.

I worked on almost every dirt-moving crew on the construction of the Alliance Pipeline, from 35 C below to 30 C above. I started on road bores, special projects, ditch, tie-ins, did a bit of backfill and eventually final cleanup. I started work three weeks after my wedding, and out of the 12 guys on my road bore crew bus, I was the only one married once.

Wet’suwet’en protests, deep dive into ESG, Part 1

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 20 Comments

Like or hate it, believe it’s a passing fad or the wave of the future. #ESG came out of nowhere about four years ago and now is at the forefront of concern for almost every larger business in the energy sector, and beyond. This Op-Ed by Deidra Garyk studies the Impact of ESG on the Energy Sector, Part 1. Watch for Part 2 tomorrow.

And along those lines, the Coastal GasLink project was an ESG nightmare, with protests across the country. This Canadian Press story says Police violated protesters’ rights in Wet’suwet’en pipeline blockades, Amnesty says

Also, oil prices are plummeting. This is not good, here, there or, apparently, in New Mexico

No. 2 oil-producing US state braces for possible end to income bonanza in New Mexico

Federal and Nova Scotia governments kill offshore petroleum project in name of ‘clean energy’

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 19 Comments
Sable Island gas project, now gone.

Federal and Nova Scotia governments kill offshore petroleum project in name of “clean energy”. No more gas development. Don’t even try. But wind? You betcha.

And here’s an analysis of why. It has a lot to do with the fact Nova Scotia can still pay for its hospitals with natural gas money, just natural gas produced in Alberta and Saskatchewan. And it has more to do with Guilbeault announcing a defacto production cap by banning venting and flaring.

Brian Zinchuk: Nova Scotia and federal government put final bullet in the head of still-twitching offshore gas play

And along the topic of the undead, the federal regulator still isn’t done with stretching out the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline. What’s another $200 million per month delay?

As a side note, two years ago I ran into the consultant whose job it was to shut down, abandon and clean up this project. He was the company man looking after the drilling of the first lithium well in Canada, near Torquay, Saskatchewan. I never got around to writing a story about it, dammit. Not enough hours in the day.

And if anyone feels like asking CJME/CKOM why Zinchuk isn’t scheduled to do his regular energy spot the first Wednesday of the month, as he did with Gormley:

Text

1-877-332-8255

 

https://www.cjme.com/

https://www.ckom.com/

Unions and five year plans in “Just Transition” legislation

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 5 Comments
There are no unions on drilling rigs. Photo by Brian Zinchuk

Unions? What unions? The “Just Transition” legislation talks about unions in the oilpatch.

The problem is, except for refining, oil sands and big inch pipeline construction, unions are all but non-existent in the oilpatch. But hey, the legislation also includes five year plans, with the exact implications of what that means. Total transformation of the economy.

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