This week on the podcast, Jackie and Peter discuss the significant volatility in the financial markets due to the escalating global trade war unleashed by President Trump’s “Liberation Day” on April 2nd. Economists and banks are sounding the alarm about the increased risk of a global recession. At the same time, oil prices have fallen by about $US 10/B due to fears of a recession and news that OPEC+ is adding more supply than expected into the market. In Canada, the uncertainty is further compounded by the upcoming federal election scheduled for April 28th, 2025.

Content referenced in this podcast:

• Financial Times, “In charts: winners and losers from Trump’s new tariffs” (April 4, 2025)
• BNN Bloomberg, Trump’s tariffs to send U.S. into recession: JP Morgan (April 6, 2025)
• Polymarket, “ US recession in 2025?”
• Reuters, “OPEC+ unexpectedly speeds up oil output hikes, oil drops” (April 3, 2025)
• 338Canada, Canadian Federal Election Polling

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This week, Brian Appelbe, Research Fellow at the Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies (CIFS) at Imperial College London, who specializes in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics, joins the podcast.

Fusion energy aims to create a miniature sun on Earth, utilizing the same process that powers the sun, where tiny atoms fuse together to release a massive amount of clean energy. Recent breakthroughs in fusion include experiments achieving net energy gain and private developers pledging to have grid-connected fusion electricity generation units by the mid-2030s.

Here are some questions Peter and Jackie asked Brian: What are the advantages of fusion energy? How does it differ from nuclear fission? Realistically, how long before fusion is a commercial reality delivering electrons to the grid? How has the entrance of private companies and almost $7 billion in total private investment changed the pace of innovation? Do you think fusion energy will eventually be low-cost, and if so, what are the potential new uses of this abundant and cheap form of electricity?

Content referenced in this podcast:

• Dr. Arthur Turrell’s book: “The Star Builders – Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet”
• 2024 report by the Fusion Industry Association

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This week our guest is Duane Reid-Carlson, President of EDC Associates Ltd., an independent electricity-focused consulting firm based in Calgary, Canada. The firm focuses closely on Alberta power markets.

EDC recently published its quarterly report and had some critical words about the government's proposed changes for Alberta’s electricity market – called the Restructured Energy Market (REM) - describing it as a “highly complex, expensive, inefficient experiment.” The same sentiment was reflected by almost all the 36 organizations that participated in the Alberta Electricity System Operator (AESO)’s feedback process in early 2025. Stakeholders were nearly unanimous in their comments that the changes will make Alberta’s electricity markets more expensive and less reliable – the exact attributes the redesign promised to fix. The sharp criticism spans all industry segments – from natural gas generators and renewable energy developers to consumers and transmission companies.

Participants also raised the issue of the AESO skipping the regulatory review from the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), which provides an independent review by a regulatory body as a safeguard to prevent any unintended negative consequences from the redesign.

Peter and Jackie examine the concerns and potential long-term negative implications for Alberta’s electricity grid, generators, and consumers with Duane Reid-Carlson.

Content referenced in this podcast:

• Stakeholder submissions to the AESO on the Restructured Energy Market (REM) design, January 2025

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This week, our guest is François Poirier, President and Chief Executive Officer of TC Energy. While he is based in Calgary, François joined us from Houston, where he attended the CERAWeek Conference. TC Energy has one of North America’s largest energy infrastructure portfolios, including natural gas pipelines and electricity generation assets in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Here are some of the questions Jackie and Peter asked François Poirier: What are some of the top themes at CERAWeek, including the discussion on the infrastructure panel you spoke at? Do you expect the US will build pipelines and other large energy projects faster with President Trump’s emergency orders and fast-tracking? What is your outlook for North American natural gas demand, considering the proliferation of plans to build new AI data centres? President Trump would like to revive the Keystone XL oil pipeline; what are your thoughts on that project? Is there an opportunity to move more natural gas between Western Canada and Eastern Canada over Canadian territory using the TC Mainline? Do you see the potential to revive the Energy East pipeline? What did you learn from completing the Coastal Gas Link pipeline which connects natural gas from Northeast British Columbia to Canada’s west coast at Kitimat, and how did it compare to your recent project of building a natural gas pipeline in Mexico? Could you envision TC Energy investing in another LNG feed gas pipeline in Canada, and what would need to change for you to make this investment? How urgent is it for Canada to start taking action to accelerate LNG projects, considering competition from Alaska, Mexico, and other foreign suppliers?

Content referenced in this podcast:

• Wall Street Journal Opinion Piece “How to Make North American Energy Great Again” (Feb 3, 2005)
• TC Energy’s Mexico pipeline project ($4.5 billion of investment)
• TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink Project in Canada

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This week, our guest is Mark Fitzgerald, President and CEO of PETRONAS Canada, which owns a 25% stake in LNG Canada. LNG Canada will be Canada’s first major LNG export terminal and is expected to start shipping Canadian natural gas to global markets from Kitimat, British Columbia, later this year. PETRONAS is one of the largest LNG operators in the world and has a key position in the Montney, Canada’s leading and world-class shale gas play.

Here are some of the questions Jackie and Peter asked Mark: What is the economic impact of LNG Canada Phase 1? How does the Montney compare to other natural gas plays globally? Can Canadian LNG compete with other global suppliers to Asia? How does the carbon emissions intensity of Canadian LNG compare to other suppliers? How would you describe the risk of investing in a Canadian LNG export terminal, compared with other countries where PETRONAS invests? Investment in Canadian LNG has been less than expected compared to a decade ago; what needs to change for Canada to attract new capital for building LNG export facilities? In your view, did BC Premier David Eby's announcement to fast-track 18 projects help address any barriers to investment? Does BC still require LNG facilities to be net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and does any other country require this? Are there any updates on the potential for a final investment decision (FID) on LNG Canada Phase 2?

Content referenced in this podcast:

• 338Canada – Canadian Federal Election Polling

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This week on the podcast, we discuss Peter’s recent articles in The Hub: “There's a fortune to be made in Canada - if only we’d seize the opportunity,” and “It's going to take more than diplomacy and defense spending to secure Canada’s sovereignty.”

The podcast begins with a bit of history, looking back at a 1950s article on the potential to make a fortune in Canada. While the country is still endowed with vast natural resources, investing in Canadian resources has become more complex over the past few decades. The challenge is evidenced by an estimated $150+ billion in projects canceled, withdrawn, or denied and the $50 billion in foreign exits from the Canadian oil and gas industry over the past decade. Another example is the surge of LNG export capacity growth in the US, while in comparison Canada has had tepid investment.

Peter and Jackie then discuss some ideas for attracting investors based on conversations over the past month, sparked by President Trump’s threat of tariffs and annexation. These include ideas for fast-tracking Canadian trade-enabling infrastructure, including expediting projects that project proponents are already advancing.

Content referenced in this podcast:

• IPSOS poll showing Liberals have a lead (Feb 25, 2025)
• Politico article, the viciousness of Trump’s climate attacks stuns even his critics (Feb 22, 2025)
• S&P study on the economic impact of US LNG
• Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) article on Germany’s LNG acceleration law by Heather Exner-Pirot (January 15, 2024)
• Financial Post article Northern Leg to Trans Mountain pipeline attracts interest amid brewing trade war (Feb 21, 2025)

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This week, our guest is Dan Hoffarth, Chief Executive Officer of Citadel Drilling, a Canadian-based drilling contractor operating in the Permian Basin. Citadel Drilling provides high-performance, automated drilling rigs designed for efficiency and safety.

Jackie and Peter ask Dan to fact-check the popular show "Landman” currently streaming on Paramount+. The series is set in the Permian Basin, featuring Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, a landman who also serves as the VP of Operations.

The discussion also provides an update on the Permian Basin, which has surpassed all of Western Canada in oil and gas production and stands as the world's largest producing basin. The rapid production growth in the Permian Basin has cemented the United States' position as the largest producer of oil and gas globally, by a significant margin. They also discuss Donald Trump’s plan to “drill baby drill” and what that could mean for the future of US oil and gas production.

Content referenced in this podcast:

• Jackie and Peter’s podcast from April 2019 about Jackie’s trip to the Permian Basin
• Jackie’s blog on the Permian Basin from 2019 - Updated to include the rattlesnake picture referenced in this podcast
• Aaron Foyer’s post on GHG emissions savings from wind turbines
• Enverus blog on methane flaring in the Permian

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This week, Peter and Jackie discuss Canada's energy security weaknesses for crude oil, natural gas, refined petroleum products, and electricity.

First, they cover recent news, including the latest on US tariffs, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Canada-US Economic Summit held on February 7th, Mark Carney’s Climate Plan, interprovincial trade barriers, and the need to attract private capital to invest in expanding Canada’s energy infrastructure, such as ports, pipelines, rail, and transmission lines.

Next, Peter and Jackie consider Ontario and Quebec's heavy reliance on crude oil and natural gas transiting through the United States. They also discuss Canada’s imports of refined petroleum products and cross-border electricity trade.

Content referenced in this podcast:

• Mark Carney Climate Plan
• CAPP Data Centre “Canadian Imports of US Crude Oil, Natural Gas and Refined Products”
• Peter Tertzakian’s story “The Long Way Around” also on Apple Podcasts
• Financial Post, July 2020: “Cenovus first to announce it’s shipping Western oil to Eastern refineries through the Panama Canal.”
• EIA blog that Canada and US trade in electricity is close to balanced (November 2024)

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