ARC ENERGY IDEAS

This week on the podcast, we discussed Jackie’s recent visit to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, to attend the Energy NL conference. Energy NL is the province’s energy supply and service sector association, which annually hosts the province’s flagship conference on conventional and clean energy. 

This week, Charlene Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Energy NL, joins the podcast to explore Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy p...

North American electricity demand is growing fast, driven by the increasing presence of data centers, as well as other load growth. In Alberta alone, the AESO has reported about 12 GW of requests for load grid connections from data centers. 

This week, our guest is Josh Schertzer, Chief Executive Officer at Beacon AI Centers, which recently announced plans to develop up to 4.5 GW of AI data centers in Alberta, representing an invest...

The past week saw a surge in energy-related political developments in Canada. Prime Minister Carney issued a unified Mandate Letter to his cabinet on May 21, 2025, emphasizing that Canada “must build an enormous amount of new infrastructure at speeds not seen in generations. This includes the infrastructure to diversify our trading relationships; to become an energy superpower in both clean and conventional energies.” 

The newly app...

This week, our guest is Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot, a Senior Fellow and Director of Energy, Natural Resources and Environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa, a Special Advisor to the Business Council of Canada, and a Research Advisor to the Indigenous Resource Network. Heather has twenty years of experience in Indigenous, Arctic and resource development and governance. She has published on Indigenous economic and resourc...

After averaging around $US 75/B over the past few years, the WTI oil price fell below $US 60/B in early May. The weakness is driven by growing concerns about a potential recession resulting from US tariffs and announcements from the OPEC+ group that they will accelerate adding supply to the market, just as demand may be softening. 

To help us understand the recent volatility in oil prices, our guest this week is Jeremy Irwin, Global...

Canadians voted for Mark Carney and the Liberal government on April 28th, 2025. In his victory speech, Prime Minister Carney asserted, "It's time to build Canada into an energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy." 

This week's podcast delves into the election results and its potential impact on Canadian energy with guest Greg Lyle, the founder and President of Innovative Research Group, a full-servi...

This week, our guest is John Kousinioris, President and CEO of TransAlta, one of Canada's largest power generators. TransAlta owns, operates, and develops a diverse fleet of electrical power generation assets in Canada, the US, and Western Australia, producing electricity from renewable sources and thermal generation. 

Here are some of the questions Jackie and Peter asked John: What are the reasons behind TransAlta’s merger wit...

This week, Peter and Jackie discuss the latest news on the Canadian federal election, including takeaways from the leaders' debate on April 17th and the platform released by the Liberal Party on April 19th. The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) had not yet released a full platform document at the time of recording.

Next, they provide an update on investment in clean energy.  Equity values of publicly traded clean energy compan...

To begin this week’s podcast, Peter and Jackie recap the past week's events, including President Trump's tariff U-turn and the escalating US-China tariff war.

Next, the conversation turns to Canada, the upcoming federal election, and Arctic export ports. To help us understand the opportunities and challenges with Arctic ports, Chris Avery, CEO of the Arctic Gateway Group joins the show. The Arctic Gateway Group is an Indig...

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 expec...

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 in...

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 compl...

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 a...

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 ...

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 r...

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 To...

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 in...

This week, our guest is Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, historian, and New York Times bestselling author. Her latest book, Autocracy Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World, explores the global rise of authoritarianism.

On February 6th, 2025, Anne spoke at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business annual PETRONAS International Energy Speaker Series. This episode was recorded live at the ...

On February 1st, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Imposing Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border.” The order calls for a 25% tariff on virtually all Canadian goods imported into the United States and a 10% tariff on Canadian energy products, starting February 4th. In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed 25% tariffs on C$155 billion worth of American goods coming in...