There’s been a lot of big Canadian energy news lately.
A new proposed pipeline to the Pacific. Saskatchewan getting more serious about nuclear. LNG Canada moving ahead with Phase 2.
We are seeing the development of projects from a variety of energy sources across different parts of the country.
I think there’s a common thread worth paying attention to: we seem to be spending a little less time asking why we can’t build things, and more time asking what it would take to build them.
That doesn’t mean every project is a good project or that we stop asking hard questions.
Actually, I think it means we need to get better at asking all of them.
Here’s what I’m thinking about this week:
WHAT HAD MY ATTENTION
Pacific Link: The Announcement Was
The Easy Part
Last week, the federal government designated Pacific Link, a proposed new oil pipeline to Canada’s West Coast, as a project of national interest.
This is something to be celebrated.
Not because every pipeline should automatically be built, but because Canada needs more ways to reach customers beyond the United States. I also really like the shift toward asking how we can get major projects done.
Now comes the harder part (and the harder questions).
Does the project make economic sense? Who builds and owns it? How can Indigenous communities participate? How do we address safety and environmental concerns? Can we actually get through a rigorous review on a predictable timeline?
To clarify: these aren’t reasons to stop. Rather, they’re questions we should be smart enough to ask while figuring out how to move forward.
THE SMART ENOUGH QUESTION:
What would it take to make Pacific Link a project Canadians look back on and say we built well? What message does Pacific Link send to the world about what Canada is capable of?
THE SMART ENOUGH TAKE:
An announcement is a signal. Delivery is the test. Canada now has a chance to show that moving faster and asking serious questions can happen at the same time.
WORTH YOUR TIME:
“Canada’s plan to build a major oil pipeline to its west coast is a “litmus test” for how quickly the government can get big projects built and attract private sector investment, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said”
Nuclear Is Moving West
When we talk about nuclear power in Canada, the conversation has traditionally been positioned around Central Canada.
That may be changing.
Saskatchewan has recently laid out plans that could see at least 2,600 MW of power via nuclear generation in the province by 2050. Saskatchewan is already a major global uranium producer, but that is not a secret. But producing uranium and producing nuclear electricity are two different things.
There’s another signal I find interesting: the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) is holding CNA West in Calgary this November. For years, the big Canadian nuclear conversations happened mostly in the East. Now the discussion is heading west to further the discussion across Canada.
Think about the expertise that exists here: engineers, trades experts, energy companies, investors, supply chains. Overall, it is people who know how to build massive energy projects.
So, I’m curious about what happens when that expertise interacts with Canada’s existing nuclear know-how. An exciting connection to keep an eye on.
INTERESTED? CHECK OUT CNA WEST!
THE SMART ENOUGH QUESTION:
Maybe the question for Canada isn’t only, “Should we build more reactors?” Maybe it’s also, “How much of the growing global nuclear opportunity could Canada capture?”
THE SMART ENOUGH TAKE:
And in the West: What impact could Western Canadian energy expertise have on the next chapter of nuclear in Canada?
WORTH YOUR WHILE
“The Saskatchewan government is outlining plans to develop two large nuclear reactors in the northwest along the North Saskatchewan River”
CHECK OUT THE CTV ARTICLE HERE
WHAT I’M WATCHING
LNG. Hormuz, And Winter
Winter is coming in the Northern Hemisphere, which means I’m watching natural gas.
Europe and Asia both need reliable LNG supplies. Qatar is one of the world’s biggest suppliers, and much of its LNG has to travel through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping route that remains a geopolitical risk.
We’ve talked about Hormuz before, so the geography isn’t the interesting part this time.
The interesting part is what it means for buyers.
Countries don’t just want energy. They want the choice to decide where that energy comes from.
Which made me think differently about last week’s LNG Canada Phase 2 decision. My opinion? Canada wants more customers for our energy. We have buyers who want more choices, and sellers who want more buyers. This sounds like a great match.
As winter approaches, I’m watching how those two things come together.
SMART ENOUGH IN 90 SECONDS
Last week, I talked about something I think may be changing in Canada.
For a long time, major projects often seemed to start with the question: Why shouldn’t we do this?
What happens if we shift the discussion to: How can we get this done?
That doesn’t mean ignoring economics, safety, the environment, Indigenous rights, or whether a project is actually a good idea.
It means asking all of those questions with the goal of figuring out whether something can work.
That feels like a small change in language. I don’t think it’s a small change in thinking
ONE LYNNIE THOUGHT
Yesterday, I was in a park with some of my besties.
One of my favourite things about these women is how much I laugh when I’m with them, and how we still do dumb stuff just because it’s fun.
You’ve probably seen kids lately jumping in piles of leaves, chasing each other around, and having the absolute best time.
It looks like fun because it IS fun.
Doing whatever this was? Also fun.
See you next Week!
Lynn