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ARC ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

ARC ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

  • 41 minutes 37 seconds
    Progress on the Canada-Alberta MOU: A Conversation with Deborah Yedlin

    This week on the podcast, we welcome back Deborah Yedlin, President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. 

    Deborah returned to the show to discuss the April 1 deadline for key deliverables under the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed in late November 2025. 

    The conversation covered a wide range of topics, including: 

    • The Iran conflict, the ongoing Strait of Hormuz closure, looming energy shortages, and global oil prices  
    • Progress on the four key deliverables from the Canada-Alberta MOU, including the agreements in principle reached before April 1 on methane regulations and the “One Project, One Review” framework where Alberta would lead environmental reviews. The discussion also covered delays in reaching an agreement on carbon pricing and the large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. While the latter two items missed the deadline, both Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney signaled confidence that agreements will be reached. The discussion also explored whether shifting priorities due to the global energy shortage and affordability concerns could lead to greater flexibility in these requirements 
    • West Coast oil pipeline developments, including a discussion of the potential for alternative financing models for a greenfield 1 million barrel a day pipeline, considering the urgency and strategic importance of expanding export infrastructure for both Canada and Asian buyers at this time 

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    7 April 2026, 9:00 pm
  • 32 minutes 59 seconds
    Recapping CERAWeek 2026

    This week on the podcast, Jackie and Peter unpack key themes from the CERAWeek conference held in Houston from March 23–27, 2026. 

    Highlights from the conference include: 

    • Canada is back on the global stage: Senior political leaders promoted energy investment opportunities, with notable alignment between federal and provincial governments.  
    • Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz: Experts from multiple perspectives shared views on the conflict and the challenges of reopening the Strait, with general agreement that doing so would be difficult.  
    • U.S. energy dominance and permitting reform: Senior U.S. officials shared goals to expand energy production and streamline permitting processes to accelerate project development.  
    • Energy security for importers: Ongoing geopolitical uncertainty is reinforcing the need for diversified energy supply (across energy types and geographic sources) and increased domestic production among importing countries.  
    • AI and electricity demand: While innovation continues, electricity supply is still considered the key constraint on the pace of AI-driven growth.  
    • Quiet momentum in clean energy: Despite reduced policy support and funding, companies continue advancing technologies, with potential for meaningful breakthroughs in the years ahead. 

     

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    31 March 2026, 10:00 pm
  • 31 minutes 37 seconds
    This Is Our Moment: An Interview With the Honourable Tim Hodgson

    This week, our guest is the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. The conversation was recorded at CERAWeek in Houston on March 24, 2026. 

    Here are some of the questions Jackie asked Minister Hodgson: How is Canadian energy being perceived at CERAWeek, particularly in the context of the war in the Middle East? Do you expect that Canada will meet the Prime Minister’s targets of 50 million tonnes per annum of LNG exports by 2030 and potentially double that by 2040? What steps is Canada taking to attract the hundreds of billions in capital required to advance and build major projects, particularly amid strong competition from the United States? With the first deadline for the Alberta–Ottawa Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) just one week away, what progress has been made, and what are the prospects for advancing a 1 MMB/d oil pipeline to access Asian markets? Is Canada fiscally competitive, especially given its carbon pricing and policy framework compared to the United States? And finally, what opportunities lie ahead for Canada in electricity generation growth? 

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    25 March 2026, 9:00 pm
  • 45 minutes 54 seconds
    What 1.5 Million Barrels per Day Could Mean for Canada’s Economy

    Over the past decade, the Canadian economy has been driven largely by consumption and government spending, while business investment has remained relatively flat. To accelerate Canada’s economic growth, an objective emphasized by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Canada will need stronger business investment, particularly investments with the “one-two punch” of growing the economy through increased capital spending in the early years and greater exports in the longer term. 

    To explore the historical drivers of GDP and what expanded export capacity could mean for Canada’s economy, Mark Parsons, Vice President and Chief Economist at ATB Financial, joins Jackie and Peter on the podcast. The discussion ends with answering the question: What would an additional 1.5 million barrels per day of oil pipeline export capacity, including a West Coast pipeline to Asia and other expansion projects, mean for Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth and jobs outlook over the next decade? 

    Studio.Energy and ATB have collaborated on a series of reports examining Canada’s GDP and the potential economic impact of increased oil export capacity. The series also includes background articles explaining how GDP is calculated and historical trends. 

    These articles are available on both the Studio.Energy and ATB websites (see links below). 

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    17 March 2026, 10:00 pm
  • 33 minutes 38 seconds
    Strait of Hormuz Closure and the Oil Price Roller Coaster

    This week on the podcast, Jackie and Peter review developments in the Iran war, which entered its tenth day at the time of recording on the morning of March 9, 2026. 

    The U.S. reports striking thousands of targets in Iran during the first week of the conflict and damaging or destroying more than 40 Iranian naval vessels. In response, Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have launched missiles and drones across more than ten countries in the region. 

    Energy infrastructure across the Middle East has also been targeted, including facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and Iran. Some regional producers have shut in oil production due to export disruptions, full storage tanks, and, in some cases, damaged facilities. 

    Tankers continue to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply and LNG trade normally pass. The U.S. has offered naval escorts and a $20 billion tanker reinsurance program to restore shipping, but tankers are not moving yet. WTI briefly surged to about US$118 per barrel on March 9, before easing, amid reports that the G7 was considering releasing strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) and comments from the US President suggesting that the conflict could be nearing an end. 

    Jackie and Peter also explore potential winners from the crisis, including renewable energy and other alternatives, electric vehicles (EVs), Russia, and possibly Canada, particularly if Canada can expand market access and increase oil and gas production. 

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    10 March 2026, 9:00 pm
  • 45 minutes 32 seconds
    Iran War, Oil Prices, and Canada Implications

    On February 28, the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, killing the Supreme Leader along with other senior leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In his initial statements following the attack, President Trump signaled that regime change was a potential objective. 

    Iran responded aggressively, targeting a range of military, civilian, and energy infrastructure across nine countries at the time of recording. Energy facilities have been hit, including a refinery in Saudi Arabia and LNG export facilities in Qatar. The Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint handling roughly one-fifth of global oil flows and a key corridor for Qatar’s LNG exports, is effectively blocked. Shipping companies and insurers are unwilling to risk moving through the narrow chokepoint amid ongoing missile and drone attacks in the region. Several tankers have also reportedly been struck. 

    As a result, oil and natural gas prices have risen. If the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked for an extended period, even higher prices are expected. 

    This week on the podcast, Peter and Jackie are joined by Josef Schachter, President and Founder of Schachter Energy Research Services Inc. They discuss the recent events, oil prices, available spare production capacity, and inventories, and what these developments could mean for the Canadian oil and gas industry. 

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    3 March 2026, 11:00 pm
  • 36 minutes 35 seconds
    Building at Record Speed: Does Canada Have the Workforce?

    Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada needs to “build at speeds not seen in generations.” More than ten major projects have now been referred to the Major Projects Office (MPO). Assuming that all of the projects move forward in the next few years, will Canada have enough skilled workers to deliver them? 

    To explore this question, our guest this week is Sean Strickland, Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions. Canada’s Building Trades Unions is the voice of the country’s construction workers, representing more than 600,000 skilled tradespeople across Canada. 

    Here are some of the questions Jackie and Peter asked Sean: What is the current situation- do we have a shortage or an excess of trade workers? How might that change if all the projects being advanced by the Major Projects Office (MPO) move into construction over the next few years? How mobile is the labour force, and are there policy changes that could improve labour mobility? Are temporary foreign workers still available if Canadian labour becomes stretched thin? What are the demographics of the current workforce? What is it like to work on industrial projects in remote regions, including both the sacrifices and the rewards? How can workforce planning be done when the number of projects that will ultimately proceed remains highly uncertain?

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    24 February 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 47 minutes 21 seconds
    Edward Fishman on American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare

    This week on the podcast, we’re sharing highlights from a conversation at the 8th Annual Haskayne School of Business PETRONAS International Energy Speaker Series held on February 11, 2026. 

    Jackie Forrest moderated a sold-out session featuring award-winning author Edward Fishman, whose recent book Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, explores the rise of U.S. geoeconomic strategy. Mr. Fishman is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy and an Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. 

    Joining the discussion was Robert (RJ) Johnston, Director of Energy and Natural Resources Policy at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. 

    The conversation explores a wide range of issues, including the United States’ use of tariffs as a tool of economic warfare, the potential for expanded investment and trade between Canada and China, how such a shift might be viewed by the U.S., and key lessons from American intervention in Venezuela. The panel also discusses the prospects for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, whether a weakening U.S. dollar could diminish America’s ability to deploy economic statecraft, and, finally, whether China’s growing self-sufficiency could ultimately reduce the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions and leverage. 

    The episode concludes with Peter and Jackie sharing their reflections on the discussion, offering their own perspectives, and examining the issues through a Canadian lens. 

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    17 February 2026, 10:00 pm
  • 42 minutes 21 seconds
    Canada’s E-Fuels Competitiveness with StormFisher Hydrogen

    This week on the podcast, our guest is Brandon Moffatt, Chief Development Officer at StormFisher Hydrogen. StormFisher Hydrogen develops projects that repurpose energy, water, and power, with a focus on green hydrogen and e-fuels across the North American market. The company is currently advancing a low-carbon methanol project in Varennes, Quebec. 

    The conversation begins with an overview of green hydrogen–derived products, including e-methane, e-methanol, and green ammonia. Brandon explains why e-methanol is emerging as a leading end-use for green-hydrogen-derived fuels, particularly for marine shipping and aviation. 

    The discussion then turns to Canada’s competitive advantages in producing e-fuels, including access to low-carbon grid electricity in Quebec, Manitoba, and British Columbia, as well as the Canadian Investment Tax Credits (ITCs). With the United States rolling back support for green hydrogen in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) last summer, Brandon notes that Canada currently holds a policy advantage in North America. However, global competition remains strong, particularly from India, China, and the Middle East, where cost structures are advantaged. 

    For Canada to remain globally competitive in green hydrogen-derived products, Brandon outlines several changes he believes are needed to Canada’s existing ITC framework. These include:

    • Allowing access to the full green hydrogen ITC when grid power is more than 90% non-emitting 
    • Extending eligibility to downstream equipment, including e-methanol and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, consistent with how ammonia is treated  
    • Allowing the use of carbon dioxide in fuel production to qualify for the carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) ITC

    The episode concludes with a deeper dive into the Varennes project, including the potential for local job creation and the anticipated timing for a final investment decision and first production. 

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    10 February 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 25 minutes 53 seconds
    Global Energy Transition Investment Hit a Record $2.3 Trillion in 2025

    This week on the podcast, Peter and Jackie review some of the latest developments in clean energy and the broader energy transition — including a discussion of terminology, with Peter advocating for a return to the older term “alternative energy”. 

    They begin by discussing Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s latest “Energy Transition Investment Trends (2026)”, which finds that global investment in the energy transition reached a record $2.3 trillion in 2025, up 8 % from 2024. 

    Next, they review a set of charts from a 200-slide deck released by Nat Bullard, an annual presentation on the state of decarbonization. Nat describes himself as a “climate-focused keynote speaker, board-level strategist, consultant, and advisor.”  His side deck provides a comprehensive overview of the latest data across a wide range of energy types. 

    Finally, the hosts discuss a couple of new papers by Peter Tertzakian: one titled “Venezuela’s Fiscal Competitiveness” and another called “Oil, Mercantilism, and the Return of Gunboat Economics”. In this segment, they debate the impact of Venezuela’s high government take, which has contributed to declining production, and consider recent reforms to the country’s oil and gas sector aimed at attracting foreign investment.

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    4 February 2026, 12:00 am
  • 42 minutes 26 seconds
    What Is Canadian Carbon Competitiveness?

    This week on the podcast, Jackie and Peter are joined by Marcus Rocque, Vice President of Research at the ARC Energy Research Institute. This episode focuses on Canadian federal carbon policy, including a discussion of the carbon pricing policy for large industrial emitters and the recently finalized methane regulations, which target a 75% reduction by 2030 (relative to 2012). The discussion centers on how these policies affect competitiveness, investment, and infrastructure development in Canada's natural gas and oil sector. 

    They start by discussing Prime Minister Carney’s recent speech at Davos. Next, they review recent developments in Canadian carbon policy, including the Canada–Alberta Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on November 27, 2025, in which both governments agreed to work toward an oil pipeline to reach Asian markets. The MOU also outlines a plan to develop a revised industrial carbon pricing policy and methane regulations by April 1, 2026. Not long after the MOU was signed, in December 2025, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), a federal agency, issued final methane regulations that conflict with the MOU, with one requiring an end date of 2030 and the other 2035.  Further to this, ECCC released a discussion paper in December titled “Driving Effective Carbon Markets in Canada”, asking for feedback by January 30, 2026, on potential changes to Canada’s carbon markets, which are also being modified as part of the Canada-Alberta MOU by April 1. 

    Jackie, Peter, and Marcus discuss what “carbon competitiveness” means and how Canadians should think about it in a changing global energy landscape. They also share concerns about the carbon market discussion paper and new methane regulations. 

    Content referenced on this podcast:

    Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/ 

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    27 January 2026, 10:00 pm
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