Analysis

  • Cleantech Growth – Building On Alberta’s Fossil Heritage – Part 3

    In the final part of his series, Richard Adamson discusses the growing trend toward low-emissions industrial clusters, and how this offers opportunities to reduce the risk and cost of CO2 management.

    July 4, 2019, 11:23 AM MDT

  • Banks Adjusting To Redwater Ruling

    Over the last number of weeks we have seen a number of publicly-traded oil and natural gas production companies announcing revised borrowing bases with their respective banks. In the vast majority of cases, borrowing bases for most oil and natural gas companies have been adjusted downward, which is not surprising considering the Supreme Court of Canada ruling on Redwater Energy Corporation.

    June 26, 2019, 6 AM MDT

  • Alberta’s Crude Curtailment Program Could Be Prolonged Affair

    The Notley government’s crude oil curtailment program, backed by the opposition United Conservative Party, to reduce a glut of oil in storage in Western Canada and bolster catastrophic regional prices, was to run from January to December of this year. The program’s sunset clause was predicated on Enbridge Inc.’s Line 3 Replacement project coming online in late 2019, adding 370,000 bbls/d of incremental pipeline capacity out of the region.

    June 20, 2019, 10:01 AM MDT

  • A Tale Of Two Visions: Canada’s Polarized Energy Debate

    What is Canada’s energy future in an age of climate change? This is a fundamental question, but it’s one that Canada has yet to answer definitively. Two different visions are on offer. Unfortunately, they mostly talk past each another.

    June 11, 2019, 12 AM MDT

  • Crude Oil Bears Full Of Bull

    “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” the crude oil price bears are yelling from the woods.

    June 6, 2019, 10:59 AM MDT

  • ‘Experts’ In The Media World Of 2019

    Recently I talked about the incredible depth of science, engineering and business expertise resident in the Canadian oil and gas industry — and how it must be better harnessed to provide facts and perspective about critical issues of the day to governments, regulators, and concerned members of the public. But a few months ago, I castigated various scientists for providing “expert” opinion, very inexpertly, on policy and regulatory matters. 

    June 3, 2019, 5:48 AM MDT

  • Cleantech Growth – Building On Alberta’s Fossil Heritage – Part 2

    In Part 1 of our series, Richard Admson began to frame the challenge facing industrial producers around the world and began to set the table for Alberta having the potential to be a leading home for future investments in an emissions-constrained world. Today, in Part 2, he looks at some of the components of “Clean-tech” that supports this future, their status and where they may be going over the next years and decades.

    May 30, 2019, 9:12 AM MDT

  • Total Financings Along With Number Of Dealers Crash In 2018

    A total of $5.2 billion in capital was raised by the Canadian oil and natural gas industry in 2018, down 77 per cent from the $22.4 billion raised in 2017.

    May 29, 2019, 6 AM MDT

  • Trudeau Minority Government Next?

    The Liberal Party is trailing in the polls, and based on history our natural ruling party will do whatever it takes to shore up support prior to the federal election on or before October 21, including throwing Western Canada’s oil industry under the bus yet again.

    May 21, 2019, 7:43 AM MDT

  • Kenney Government Takes New Approach On Energy: Will It Work?

    The Kenney government has come to power with a new approach to energy. It can be summed up in four words: fight back, dial back.

    May 7, 2019, 12 AM MDT

  • Should Kenney Reconsider Trashing Notley’s Rail Plan?

    To cancel the recently signed contracts with Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) or not, that’s the question newly-installed Premier Jason Kenney must now answer.

    May 1, 2019, 6:54 AM MDT

  • Cleantech Growth – Building On Alberta's Fossil Fuel Heritage

    The topic of climate change and the impact of human alteration of the atmosphere is one that is sure to raise passions or instill depression in any gathering. It makes politics and religion seem like safe dinner party topics unless you have carefully vetted your guests.

    April 30, 2019, 8:39 AM MDT

  • Kenney’s Natural Gas Strategy Leaves Room For Improvement

    I’m thrilled Alberta will again have a pro-business government in power as of April 30. But Premier-designate Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party (UCP) will have their work cut out for them, especially to fulfil their campaign promise of getting a “fair price” for Alberta’s natural gas.

    April 25, 2019, 7:23 AM MDT

  • New UCP Government Could Bolster Alberta Separatism

    The NDP has been bounced from power in Alberta. Now the hard part. To get new crude pipeline capacity constructed to tidewater.

    April 17, 2019, 7:19 AM MDT

  • Collateral Damage Caused By The Supreme Court Of Canada’s Decision To Overturn The Redwater Decision

    The release on January 31, 2019, of the long-awaited court decision (the “Appeal Decision”) by the Supreme Court of Canada to the appeal by the Alberta Energy Regulator (the “AER”) of the May 2016 ruling by the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta that provincial regulations are in conflict with the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (the “Redwater Decision”) was publicly lauded by many observers as the correct “social” decision.

    April 16, 2019, 10:01 AM MDT

  • The SNC-Lavalin Affair: Lessons For Bill C-69

    Ottawa watchers remain mesmerized by the debacle surrounding a deferred prosecution agreement for SNC-Lavalin. The ejection of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal caucus is one of the latest developments.

    April 15, 2019, 6 AM MDT

  • Betting On More Growth From the Permian

    When flying into the Midland airport in West Texas, there was no doubt that I had arrived in oil country. It was a pleasant March afternoon and I could see drilling rigs on either side of the airport runway. Pump jacks were nodding in every direction as far as my eyes could see.

    April 10, 2019, 8:28 AM MDT

  • Industry Professionals Can Lead The Way In Engaging The Public

    Although not generally appreciated by government or the public, the network of scientific, engineering and business knowledge supporting the Canadian oil and gas industry is truly impressive. I’m tempted to say that it’s unparalleled in this country, and perhaps any other.

    April 9, 2019, 6 AM MDT

  • A Small Step On The Long Road To Reconciliation

    I’m thrilled to see the federal and Alberta governments talking about a possible large Aboriginal stake in the Trans Mountain crude pipeline, assuming completion of the expansion project.

    April 3, 2019, 9:17 AM MDT

  • 2018 A Weak Year For M&A

    The total enterprise value of merger and acquisition (“M&A”) transactions in the Canadian oil and natural gas industry in 2018 dropped 73 per cent  year-over-year, plummeting to $11.9 billion.

    March 27, 2019, 6 AM MDT

  • IEA Underestimates U.S. Oil Production Growth; Important Ramifications For Prices

    The International Energy Agency (IEA), and other major oil forecasting organizations such as OPEC and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), have consistently and seriously underestimated U.S. oil production since the Shale Oil Revolution took off in earnest early this decade.

    March 26, 2019, 7:59 AM MDT

  • IEA Too Bullish On Global Oil Consumption

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) released its latest medium-term outlook for the world oil market on March 11, and it’s no more likely to be prescient than those in the past for a simple reason: the IEA is a political organization.

    March 25, 2019, 7:25 AM MDT

  • Canada’s Energy Future And The Perils Of Dangerous Optimism

    March 11, 2019, 6 AM MDT

  • Is There Still Room For Small Companies In Oil And Gas Exploration?

    In pondering the future of the oil and gas industry, I wonder whether it will include junior (small) companies, which have been the crucibles of many new ideas, concepts and plays over the years.

    March 5, 2019, 6 AM MST

  • Don’t Bet Farm On Alberta Rail Plan Making Money

    Call me skeptical.

    February 27, 2019, 6 AM MST

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