ARC ENERGY IDEAS

Stock prices of companies in the clean energy space have rocketed-up over the past year. Even considering the recent pullback, most stocks are still up significantly. Clean energy investing is not new. There have been a few cycles in the past that have generally not ended well for investors. This week, Peter and Jackie discuss today’s market dynamics and what may have changed compared with the pas...

What is the effort required to respond to investor ESG disclosure requirements? Should oil sands companies have access to “green financing” to fund emissions reduction projects?  How do Suncor’s GHG emission reduction goals compare to other oil producers? What types of new energy technologies and projects is Suncor investing in? What is your perspective on Canadian federal climate policy, includin...

This week our guest is Simon Moores, Managing Director of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence offers price reporting and market intelligence for the supply chains of lithium ion batteries, electric vehicles and energy storage. Here are some of the questions Jackie and Peter asked Simon: What is driving the increase in lithium, cobalt, and nickel prices today? Are there n...

This week marks a year since the oil price war started and COVID-19 reached North America. While pandemic restrictions still remain, the oil markets have roared back. In this episode, Jackie and Peter discuss the recent ARC commentary “A 60-to-0 Round Trip: Nine Oily Lessons from the Pandemic.”   For the energy industry, the events of the past 12 months have been a thought experiment turned realit...

Millions of Texans were left in the freezing cold when the electrical system fell short during a historic winter chill. The deadly event caused the electric system operator to cut about 35% of forecasted demand with blackouts. This week, our guests – Joshua Rhodes, Research Associate at the University of Texas at Austin and Founding Partner at IdeaSmiths LLC and Blake Shaffer, Assistant Professor...

Are electric vehicles the new family car? Jackie’s family recently purchased an EV to find out.  In this episode, Peter and Jackie discuss the economics and utility of EV ownership, including the barriers of limited high-speed charging infrastructure and the need for standardized plugs. Next is an update on Canada’s Clean Fuel Standard (CFS). The draft legislation was released in the Canada Gazett...

Last week the IEA described the oil markets as ‘fragile.’ In contrast, the price of oil has soared back from all time lows (and negative pricing) to its pre-COVID levels. This week Peter and Jackie discuss the arguments of the bulls and the bears. The bears are focused on weak oil demand, slow vaccine roll outs and prolonged lockdowns. The bulls see beyond this near-term fragility to the demand re...

The UN reported that net zero pledges from local governments and business have roughly doubled in less than a year. Canada has introduced a bill that would legally bind the government to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. But what do the people of Alberta think? This week, our guests – Linda Coady, the executive director of the Pembina Institute, and Janet Brown, a pollster and political commen...

Oil and gas stocks can hardly compete for news headlines with the wild volatility of GameStop and the soaring price of Tesla. Yet there is good news to report. Year-to-date oil and gas equities have outperformed the overall market. Relative to March 2020 - when the stocks were crushed - some public oil and gas names are now up 3 or 4 times. This week, our guest Trent Boehm, Vice Chairman and Head...

This week our guest is Dale Swampy, President of the National Coalition of Chiefs (NCC). Dale recently wrote an op-ed titled “UNDRIP will slow, not hasten Indigenous development.”   UNDRIP (the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) was drafted by the United Nations in 2007 with the goal of recognizing basic human rights of Indigenous people and their right to self-determi...

This week our guest is Diane Cameron, Director of the Nuclear Energy Division at Natural Resources Canada. Canada is already a global leader in nuclear energy and safety. Canada is the second largest producer of uranium and home to the world’s largest fully operational nuclear power generation facility in Ontario. The next chapter in Canadian leadership is well underway with the development of Sma...

The news flow has started off 2021 with a bang! Saudi Arabia surprised the oil markets announcing a voluntary 1 MMB/d cut to their production for February and March. The Democrats gained two seats in the Georgia election, granting them greater power in the US Senate. The stock markets saw the change as a positive signal for clean energy companies. Bitcoin is attracting attention, but are digital c...

On this week’s podcast we look back on the events that shaped the challenging year that was 2020.  Early in January, tensions between the United States and Iran briefly pushed oil prices over $60/B.  But when Coronavirus spread from China to the rest of the world, oil price plunged. The darkest days of the pandemic were in April, when oil demand dropped over 20% and price momentarily fell to negat...

The Canadian federal government is developing a Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) policy.  The draft rule for liquid fuel (including gasoline and diesel) is expected later this month.  Subsequently, rules for gaseous and solid fuels will be developed. This week’s episode is a primer on clean fuel standards. What is CFS? What jurisdictions have CFS policies already in place?  What is the policy’s objective...

This week our guest is Doug Hooper, Director of Policy and Regulations at Advanced Biofuels Canada. Advanced Biofuels Canada is a national industry association established to promote the production and use of advanced biofuels In Canada. Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie asked Doug: Why is there a push to increase the use of biofuels in Canada? What feedstocks and processes are...

On this week’s episode, we discuss the Canadian federal government’s plans to legislate net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. What is the reaction from the oil and gas industry? Next up, we consider the importance of energy efficiency for achieving low carbon goals.  History has shown that energy demand growth is difficult to curb. Yet, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a th...

This week our guests are Mayor Alanna Hnatiw of Sturgeon County (the home of Alberta's Industrial Heartland) and Mayor Don Iveson from the City of Edmonton. Both Mayors are leaders on the Alberta Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force. The group just released a report on the market potential for hydrogen in the region, titled: “Building a Transition Pathway To A Vibrant Hydrogen Economy In...

The US election has been a 'nail-biter' to say the least, with the votes still being counted three days after the election. While still not certain, the odds are now (at time of writing) skewed towards a Biden presidential win with the Republicans keeping control of the Senate. This week our guest is Robert Johnston. RJ leads the energy and natural resources practice at Eurasia Group, a...

Canada’s largest solar farm is coming to Alberta! This week our guest is Dan Balaban, Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Greengate Power. Under Dan’s leadership, Greengate has developed $1 billion or 450 MW of producing renewable energy projects in Alberta. His company is currently developing the large Travers Solar Energy project in southern Alberta. Here are some of the questions...

As we woke up Sunday morning, the news was about Cenovus and Husky’s plan to merge and create a new “resilient intergraded energy leader.”  The consolidation wave has been gaining momentum in Canada’s oil patch for some time, but this is the biggest announcement yet. On this week’s episode, Peter and Jackie analyze the drivers for industry consolidation by reviewing ARC’s Fiscal Pulse of the Canad...

This week’s guest is Daniel Yergin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and authority on everything energy. We discuss Dan’s new book “ The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations.” Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie asked him: How has the US shale revolution changed the global energy order? Is the geopolitics of oil a non-issue now? What is the growing conflict between...

On this week’s episode we discuss Alberta’s recently released “Natural Gas Vision and Strategy” that outlines petrochemicals, LNG, hydrogen, and plastic recycling as priorities for the government. We also talk about the province’s announcement around developing geothermal regulation. Next up, we consider the implications to lending and investing now that some banks are targeting net-zero emissions...

When it comes to energy, Alberta is most known for its large oil and gas industry. However, the province also has emerging new energy potential, including blue hydrogen, geothermal, minerals and carbon capture and storage (CCS). Alberta’s Energy Minister, the Honourable Sonya Savage, joined the podcast this week. Here are some of the questions we asked her: How are companies coping with the oil ma...

We start this week’s podcast talking about the Energyphile Vignette “Decarbonization Lessons from Edison.” Thomas Edison’s strategy for electrification provides learnings for today’s energy transition. We also cover recent energy headlines: BP’s prediction that oil demand will peak soon. California’s summer power blackouts and the state's pledge to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles by 2...

This week our guest is Duncan Van Bergen, Vice President of Nature Based Solutions for Royal Dutch Shell. What exactly are nature-based solutions?  Duncan explains how Shell is harnessing nature to help achieve Shell’s ambitious GHG emission reduction targets. We learned that nature is a powerful weapon in the flight against climate change. Here are some of the questions that Peter and Jackie aske...