Enbridge investment builds on momentum following April milestone of notice to proceed
The outlook for Canada’s extra-low emissions Woodfibre LNG project just got even stronger. A new $1.5 billion investment by Enbridge builds on momentum following the April milestone of notice to proceed being issued to the project’s main contractor. “Woodfibre is now essentially assured to go ahead with the recent announcement,” says Thomas Liles, vice-president with…
U.S. transport of LNG to Europe is surging in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Canadian natural gas is finding its way to global customers desperate for more LNG, but it’s not because of any export project on Canada’s coasts. Instead, the supply is taking off on ocean tankers as part of the mix from liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in the United States, according to Deloitte Canada. “It appears…
Increasing Canadian LNG would improve energy security and also help reduce world emissions
The growing global shortage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected to bring a sustained period of higher prices and extreme market volatility, according to analysts with Norway-based consultancy Rystad Energy. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and the subsequent decision by European countries to seek other natural gas suppliers – is exacerbating an already tight…
21,000 jobs, $890 million in taxes and about $2.5 billion in annual GDP
There’s been a big step forward for a major proposed Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) project that’s seen as an opportunity for economic reconciliation with Indigenous communities and help to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Partners in the Ksi Lisims LNG project, including the Nisga’a Nation, have applied for a 40-year LNG export licence and…
There are 2,449 coal-fired plants operating worldwide, 189 under construction and 292 planned
Coal use around the world is rising in what the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) calls “a sobering reality check” for targets to reduce emissions. Against that backdrop, global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is soaring, in part because it can help displace coal power and reduce emissions by half – or…
Canadian LNG exports are expected to replace coal power, primarily for growing markets in Asia
In the world’s race for cleaner energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada has an advantage. To start with, it comes with a smaller footprint – the lowest emissions intensity of LNG projects in the world. But why? Canada leads among countries able to export natural gas to displace coal,…
But what happens when disinformation campaigns run headlong into reality?
I’m not a fan of making predictions because there are usually way too many variables at play. Trying to guess the price of oil leaves me speechless despite the pathetically large number of hours I spend trying to understand the market. Yet, given the way 2022 is unfolding, I offer the following predictions as more…
Natural gas is an absolutely critical part of any clean energy mix
The future looks brighter for Canada’s emerging liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. A second project, Woodfibre LNG, has received the green light and a major expansion is being considered for the under-construction LNG Canada plant. It’s no surprise given the red-hot global market for LNG. Last year, LNG prices increased by 435 per cent compared…
Western leaders are acting in ways that make your cringe: It's like watching an out-of-control teen at their first party
People have been asking for my thoughts on the recently announced federal climate plan. I shrug. I ask them what their thoughts are on the Iowa State Fair Hog Calling Regulations. I’m indifferent. I know I should care, but what’s the point? The feds throw something at us; we have to work with it. We…
It's better to send tankers of oil and LNG to Europe than tanks full of our kids
The war in Ukraine is now more than a month old, nor does it show serious signs of ending anytime soon, despite attempts at peace talks. Canada has had a month to determine a response. Even if the shooting stops, Russia’s oil and gas exports must be replaced by that from other nations over the…
Unfortunately, Canada is in no position to help because of decades of poor energy policy
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine didn’t cause the energy crisis in Europe. Rather, the energy crisis enabled the invasion – and it’s been decades in the making. So what are we going to do about it? Energy policy must be strategic. Unless Western nations address our energy security, we may be destined to see this kind…
A global energy crunch could help propel prices above US$100 a barrel
All eyes are focused on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies in OPEC+ as they meet today. With crude oil prices touching US$80 a barrel and prospects of hitting US$100 this winter looming large, markets are on edge. The market trajectory is virtually impossible to delineate. A global energy crunch could help…
Wind and solar farms replacing the 84% of global energy from fossil fuels is technically impossible
In a previous column I pointed out that since switching coal-fuelled power plants to natural gas cuts CO2 emissions in half, exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) to displace coal benefits our economy and reduces global emissions. And that since converting gasoline and diesel-fuelled vehicles and ships to natural gas cuts emissions by 25 per cent,…
Rationality can prevail, clean, abundant natural gas can be used for decades, energy ‘transition’ or not
An estimated $55-billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project to take natural gas from northeastern British Columbia to its northwest coast at Pearse Island recently received the blessing and financial and political backing of the Nisga’a First Nation. The First Nation is on the proposed pipeline route and is the site of planned liquefaction terminal. This…
G7 countries will further cripple their economies by pursuing their green energy fantasies
At their meeting in June, G7 leaders agreed to a greenhouse gas emissions target of “net zero” by 2050. That would require phasing out fossil fuels that currently supply 84 per cent of global energy. But how? The common reply is “putting a price on carbon,” i.e., carbon taxes. But unless there’s a viable alternative,…
The outlook for Canada’s extra-low emissions Woodfibre LNG project just got even stronger. A new $1.5 billion investment by Enbridge builds on momentum following the April milestone of notice to proceed being issued to the project’s main contractor. “Woodfibre is now essentially assured to go ahead with the recent announcement,” says Thomas Liles, vice-president with…
