… the entire province of Alberta was powered for 16 hours on Sunday.
You see, when wind does okay, never mind great, NO ONE GETS PAID. And the problem with no one making money is no one is making money. That doesn’t last very long.
Also, on the topic of reliable power:
Energy Minister visits Steel Reef Viewfield, sees implementation of gas-fired power generation
Alberta wind power generation took a holiday on Labour Day
Throughout the day, wind output from the 1722 wind turbines (at last count) totalling 5,688 megawatts of total generation capacity hovered around the 1 per cent output mark, ranging from 1.9 to 0.8 per cent.
A “Dialectic on Energy Policy” with a former pipeline CEO vs. sustainable development exec
On July 27, the Midwest Legislators Conference in Saskatoon held a “Dialectic on Energy Policy,” essentially a debate on energy choices in a world focused on climate change. Hal Kvisle, former CEO of TransCanada Pipeline/TC Energy was on the right side of the debate and Louise Miltich came from the left.
Brian Zinchuk on Evan Bray Show: Multilaterals, coal revival, major projects and more
On Sept. 3, Evan Bray and Brian Zinchuk go over the growing impact of large multilateral wells, LNG, the new major projects office, Alberta electrical grid updates, coal revival and more.
Good piece on the NDP’s dazed and confused tariff response.https://t.co/KORgMLdOEB pic.twitter.com/Rp0SFwq9yM
— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) August 26, 2025
Also: Fireside chat about the coal injunction
The people behind the injunction are against the expansion of natural gas-fired power generation, against the continuation of coal-fired power generation, and also against nuclear power. So what’s left?
And – Wind in Alberta bottoms out three times over the last week
LNG Canada ships first cargo, making Canada a global player.
I provide some analysis on how this will impact Saskatchewan in the first part of the story.
Also:
Poilievre posts “Meet Hardisty” video about and its importance to Canada
Donald Trump’s disdain for wind energy could create windfall for Nova Scotia: experts
Energy Realities Podcast: Geopolitical issues and oil. Some interesting discussion about Carney killing the digital services tax to placate Trump, forgoing this thing called “rule of law.”
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.
Poilievre says pipelines should be built even without consensus.
Eby says it’s not him blocking Smith’s oil pipeline, it’s lack of money and proponent.
Pipeline Online Podcast Ep. 11: Dr. Tammy Nemeth, energy analyst
Quebec government scraps gasoline floor price to boost competition
Nova Scotia’s ambitious ‘Wind West’ offshore energy plan wins support with conditions
SaskPower asked customers to reduce demand Wednesday as low wind, gas and coal issues reduce power supply
SaskPower awards major wind and solar projects to Meadow Lake Tribal Council, Mistawasis Nêhiyawak and Potentia partnerships
All-of-the-above approach: SaskPower Minister’s speech at wind and solar announcement
Meanwhile:
Energy Realities Podcast: Spain and Portugal’s major blackout
Either a bylaw amendment is approved, or the Weyburn wind project is dead.
Alberta wind output falls to 0.05 per cent of capacity days before energy election. And the Clean Electricity Regulations, brought into force the last day Parliament sat, do not appear to be up for change according to the Liberal election platform. Read for yourself.
37 rigs still in the field as winter drilling season is about to wrap up
The greenwashing act has not gone away. Op-Ed: Heather Exner-Pirot & Sonya Savage: Canada’s greenwashing amendment: A failure of process and policy
Pipeline Online Podcast Ep. 3: Chad Eggerman on Wind
It’s not often we have meaningful discussions on royalties in this province, so I’m giving it a major effort. Some think we should never touch royalties, ever. And the 2009 Stelmach experience in Alberta was telling. So is there ever a time to do it? What about for a new product, like lithium?
I FINALLY completed my vey detailed book review of Eric Cline’s book on potash royalties. Bronwyn Eyre and I discussed it with Eric last Monday for our inaugural Pipeline Online Podcast. The YouTube version is embedded in the story.
Eric Cline’s Squandered: Canada’s Potash Legacy, takes a hard look at royalties. Part 1 #saskatchewan
Jim Warren: How to govern while fiscally handcuffed: don’t follow the example of the Romanow NDP
You don’t see that very often – Saskatchewan’s wind power averaged 89% output on Jan. 24. And it hit 88% the next day.
Saskatchewan is looking to rejuvenate coal, not abandon it: in-depth with Minister Jeremy Harrison.
If SaskPower carries through with rejuvenating coal, it will save three power plants, two mines, ~1000 jobs and two communities.
The significance of the shift on coal cannot be understated. When SaskPower’s then-CEO Mike Marsh came to Estevan in 2018 to say they would not be installing carbon capture technology on Boundary Dam Units 4 and 5, it wasn’t the obituary for the community, but it sure felt like the cancer diagnosis. And with no talk of carbon capture for Coronach’s Poplar River Power station, it seemed all but certain that town would whither away once the coal plant and related mine shut down by the federally mandated 2030 deadline. The January, 2025, announcement of SaskPower looking to rebuild both Boundary Dam and Poplar River, if carried out, would be a decades-long reprieve for both communities.
To extend the metaphor, effectively Estevan and Coronach just went into chemotherapy, and the results may be positive.
The implications of this change in direction, from the impending death of coal, to its possible rejuvenation, have local, provincial, national and international aspects, detailed in the story.
Watch for the Pipeline Online Podcast, Episode 2, to be broadcast on LinkedIn, Facebook and X at 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24.. Crown Investments Corp Minister Jeremy Harrison is the guest, where we will delve even further into this new direction on coal-fired power generation.
X (works best): https://x.com/Pipeline_Online
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianzinchuk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pipelineonlineca/
It will eventually be posted to YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify
It was right around the time a man walked up to me, leaned close to my face and asked how much I had been paid to write a story talking about the benefits of the Weyburn wind project that I had an epiphany…
Brian Zinchuk: In opposing a wind project, Weyburn might want to be careful what they wish for
This is the column I referenced in those Weyburn wind stories. While I still very much question wind generation in a macro sense, I definitely had an epiphany when it came to NIMBY and the Weyburn wind project being presented by Enbridge. If an energy project can’t get built by an oil town, what’s going to happen when we want to start building reactors? Or a major pipeline is proposed?
And on Sunday, I stopped at the Bekevar Wind Facility. I posted a few videos from there, which I will eventually post as stories on the site. For the second time in a row, there was zero power being produced as not one turbine turned in the hour or so I was there. The wind was around 2-4 knots, according to weather reports.
Santa gave Alberta free power again on Christmas and Boxing Day.
Scott Moe 2024 in Review: Nuclear, Coal, Wind and Solar Power Generation
Also:
Enbridge’s Weyburn wind project open house, Part 5: Health, setbacks, provincial dollars
(conclusion of series)
Here’s part five, which includes discussion on health impacts, setback distances, and speaking with Premier Scott Moe about provincial loan guarantees.
Here’s Part 4 of the Weyburn Wind saga, focusing on acreages, wildlife and referendum
You might be wondering why I’ve gone so deep into this open house. Here’s the thing – this has been the first opportunity I’ve had to really get into the development of one of these projects, and see and hear the arguments from both sides. Alberta just put its 50th online. Saskatchewan has nine. This would be the 10th. So it’s a chance to really get into the weeds.
The numerous stories I’ve written about wind power to date have almost been exclusively about their reliability or lack thereof, and their impact on a macro scale on grids, power pricing and the like. This development side is a totally different aspect.