Latest news with #PathwaysAlliance
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Varcoe: Canadian oilsands giant hopes grand bargain 'comes to fruition' — new pipeline and massive carbon capture project
The president of Canada's largest petroleum producer expects the country's oil pipelines will fill up within the next decade — and believes a new one should be included on the Carney government's major project list. Article content Canadian Natural Resources president Scott Stauth would also welcome a massive carbon capture network in the oilsands making it onto the federal list — part of what Premier Danielle Smith says could be part of 'grand bargain' to also advance a greenfield pipeline. Article content Article content Article content However, there are plenty of kilometres still to go in this marathon — and no assurances how the race will play out. Article content Article content 'I do believe Canada will need a new oil egress pipeline within the next five to 10 years. And I think it's important the government continue on the path that they have, to consider a pipeline,' Stauth said in an interview Thursday. Article content 'It does need to be on the major projects list in order to be part of the Bill C-5 that they've put into legislation . . . To me, they go hand in hand.' Article content Canadian Natural, which released its second-quarter earnings Thursday, produced 1.42 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the April-to-June period, and is one of six members in the Pathways Alliance group of oilsands producers. Article content Article content Article content The federal Liberal government recently passed Bill C-5, which expedites projects of national significance. Alberta's premier has said both developments should be included on the major projects list, an idea Prime Minister Mark Carney appears to be considering. Article content However, Smith's idea of building a new million-barrel-a-day oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast — and doubling Alberta's oil and gas production in the future — is ambitious. And no private sector proposals for a greenfield pipeline are on the table, yet.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Varcoe: Canadian oilsands giant hopes grand bargain 'comes to fruition' — new pipeline and massive carbon capture project
The president of Canada's largest petroleum producer expects the country's oil pipelines will fill up within the next decade — and believes a new one should be included on the Carney government's major project list. Canadian Natural Resources president Scott Stauth would also welcome a massive carbon capture network in the oilsands making it onto the federal list — part of what Premier Danielle Smith says could be part of 'grand bargain' to also advance a greenfield pipeline. However, there are plenty of kilometres still to go in this marathon — and no assurances how the race will play out. Oilsands producers want several federal policies changed, allowing them to increase output that could fill a new multibillion-dollar pipeline. 'I do believe Canada will need a new oil egress pipeline within the next five to 10 years. And I think it's important the government continue on the path that they have, to consider a pipeline,' Stauth said in an interview Thursday. 'It does need to be on the major projects list in order to be part of the Bill C-5 that they've put into legislation . . . To me, they go hand in hand.' Canadian Natural, which released its second-quarter earnings Thursday, produced 1.42 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the April-to-June period, and is one of six members in the Pathways Alliance group of oilsands producers. The consortium, which operates about 95 per cent of oilsands production, has proposed building a $16.5-billion carbon capture network in Alberta. It would connect more than a dozen facilities, through a pipeline, to an underground CO2 storage hub near Cold Lake, but has not received a green light from the companies. The federal Liberal government recently passed Bill C-5, which expedites projects of national significance. Alberta's premier has said both developments should be included on the major projects list, an idea Prime Minister Mark Carney appears to be considering. However, Smith's idea of building a new million-barrel-a-day oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast — and doubling Alberta's oil and gas production in the future — is ambitious. And no private sector proposals for a greenfield pipeline are on the table, yet. Producers point to federal policies that would need to be ditched or overhauled to encourage significantly more output for a new pipeline. Those include the emissions cap on the oil and gas sector, federal methane regulations and an oil tanker ban off the northern coast of British Columbia. Stauth said Bill C-5 is important for the country and stressed Canada needs to ensure regulations hampering oilsands growth are altered to attract investment. 'We need those policies changed,' he said. 'It's not good enough just to have a pipeline built. Production has to be able to fill that pipeline, and the regulations are impacting the ability to fill that pipeline.' With the startup of the Trans Mountain expansion last year, there is sufficient pipeline capacity out of Western Canada to meet growing output in the short term. Pipeline giant Enbridge and Trans Mountain Corp. have also discussed incremental ways to optimize their existing systems. However, S&P Global Commodity Insights forecasts an additional 500,000 barrels per day of oilsands output is expected by 2030. In an interview last month with the Calgary Herald, the prime minister said 'it's highly, highly likely that we will have an oil pipeline that is a proposal for one of these projects of national interest.' He suggested the Pathways Alliance carbon capture project could also merit a spot on the list. The producers group has been planning and designing the carbon capture project for several years, but maintains it will require more incentives from the federal and provincial governments to proceed. 'We're supportive of both the projects (Pathways and an oil pipeline) going off at the same time. It's important for our egress . . . and it's also important to us to have carbon capture at our oilsands,' Stauth added. 'To the extent that it's a grand bargain, our view is it's important to us to have both of those opportunities come to fruition.' Related Varcoe: Billion-dollar benefits of TMX help make case for pipelines on Ottawa's major projects list Varcoe: Carney government needs 'quick wins' from energy projects and to address internal challenges on Bill C-5, says new report Recent opinion polls show majority support among Canadians for building new pipelines, particularly as the country faces U.S. tariffs. Meanwhile, the pipeline debate continues to churn. On Thursday, the Ontario government teamed up with Alberta and Saskatchewan, issuing a request for proposals for a new feasibility study to examine options for a new energy and economic corridor between Western and Central Canada. This would include the potential of oil and gas pipelines between Alberta and Ontario. In Calgary, federal Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the Liberal government to ditch the tanker ban, Impact Assessment Act and the oilpatch emissions cap. He wants to see shovels in the ground by next March on at least two major pipelines, a new LNG export initiative and a road to the Ring of Fire mining deposits in northern Ontario. 'We can't wait till everybody's on side,' the Conservative leader told reporters. 'You're going to need national leadership.' Gregory Frame, a spokesman for federal Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, said the federal government is focused on economic competitiveness 'and moving rapidly to build Canada into an energy superpower.' While there's plenty of talk about pipelines and Pathways, it remains to be seen how far the federal government will go to back new energy projects, or how much opposition it's prepared to withstand to move forward with such development. Oilsands producers will continue growing if there's sufficient pipeline capacity ahead, but only in 'a very measured way,' said Menno Hulshof, managing director of equity research at TD Cowen. 'I think it would require very strong assurances from the feds on a lot of different fronts in order to get bigger shovels in the ground,' Hulshof said. 'I'm pretty comfortable in saying that it's not going to be a simple exercise.' Chris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist. cvarcoe@
Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Varcoe: Canadian oilsands giant hopes grand bargain 'comes to fruition' — new pipeline and massive carbon capture project
The president of Canada's largest petroleum producer expects the country's oil pipelines will fill up within the next decade — and believes a new one should be included on the Carney government's major project list. Article content Canadian Natural Resources president Scott Stauth would also welcome a massive carbon capture network in the oilsands making it onto the federal list — part of what Premier Danielle Smith says could be part of 'grand bargain' to also advance a greenfield pipeline. Article content Article content Article content However, there are plenty of kilometres still to go in this marathon — and no assurances how the race will play out. Article content Article content Oilsands producers want several federal policies changed, allowing them to increase output that could fill a new multibillion-dollar pipeline. Article content 'I do believe Canada will need a new oil egress pipeline within the next five to 10 years. And I think it's important the government continue on the path that they have, to consider a pipeline,' Stauth said in an interview Thursday. Article content Canadian Natural, which released its second-quarter earnings Thursday, produced 1.42 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the April-to-June period, and is one of six members in the Pathways Alliance group of oilsands producers. Article content Article content The federal Liberal government recently passed Bill C-5, which expedites projects of national significance. Alberta's premier has said both developments should be included on the major projects list, an idea Prime Minister Mark Carney appears to be considering. Article content However, Smith's idea of building a new million-barrel-a-day oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast — and doubling Alberta's oil and gas production in the future — is ambitious. And no private sector proposals for a greenfield pipeline are on the table, yet.
Edmonton Journal
09-07-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Tasha Kheiriddin: A Carney pipeline means an angry Liberal base
Article content For months, Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken about making Canada an energy superpower. He said it on the campaign trail, mentioned it again in an interview with CTV news in May, and dropped it again last weekend at the Calgary Stampede. While he usually inserts the qualifier of 'both clean and conventional energy,' in an interview Saturday he stated that it's 'highly, highly likely' that at least one oil pipeline will make the government's list of national strategic infrastructure projects. Article content Article content Those words aren't a dog whistle — they're a bugle call to western premiers, notably Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. At a press conference with Ontario Premier Doug Ford this week, Smith waxed enthusiastic about a 'grand bargain' involving pipelines and the Pathways Alliance, a group of energy producers promoting carbon capture as a means of 'decarbonizing' fossil fuel production. The two premiers agreed to study the construction of a pipeline to the East and a rail line to the West, to send Alberta oil to eastern Canada and critical minerals from Ontario's Ring of Fire to western ports. Article content Article content Those national infrastructure projects appear to be chugging along, full steam ahead. But they still need the federal government on board — and despite his talk, Carney still must walk the walk. And that may not be as easy as some may hope. Article content First, Carney has a very verdant past. He is a longtime climate finance evangelist, promoting green energy projects as chair of Brookfields, authoring a book on 'value(s),' arguing for ESG investment frameworks, and serving as the UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance. Will he turn his back on those beliefs — or find a way to reconcile them with pro-development positions? Article content Article content Second, the Liberal Party's green flank is likely to see red. Former and current environment ministers Steven Guilbault and Julie Dabrusin are part of the anti-oil crowd, as are many rank and file members of the party in urban Ontario, Quebec, and B.C. Until now, they called the tune: under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Liberals were the party of carbon taxes, not carbon capture, of emissions caps, not Energy East. Article content Third, there are potential roadblocks that are out of Carney's control. Opposition is brewing among environmental and indigenous groups to his recently passed Bill C-5, the 'One Canadian Economy Act,' which promises to streamline approval for resource projects. Canada has seen civil disobedience before, when members of the Wet'suwet'en band blocked railways in early 2020 to protest pipeline construction: a sequel could be coming to a rail line near you, and it's not clear how Carney would respond.
Calgary Herald
08-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Tasha Kheiriddin: A Carney pipeline means an angry Liberal base
Article content For months, Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken about making Canada an energy superpower. He said it on the campaign trail, mentioned it again in an interview with CTV news in May, and dropped it again last weekend at the Calgary Stampede. While he usually inserts the qualifier of 'both clean and conventional energy,' in an interview Saturday he stated that it's 'highly, highly likely' that at least one oil pipeline will make the government's list of national strategic infrastructure projects. Article content Article content Those words aren't a dog whistle — they're a bugle call to western premiers, notably Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. At a press conference with Ontario Premier Doug Ford this week, Smith waxed enthusiastic about a 'grand bargain' involving pipelines and the Pathways Alliance, a group of energy producers promoting carbon capture as a means of 'decarbonizing' fossil fuel production. The two premiers agreed to study the construction of a pipeline to the East and a rail line to the West, to send Alberta oil to eastern Canada and critical minerals from Ontario's Ring of Fire to western ports. Article content Article content Article content Those national infrastructure projects appear to be chugging along, full steam ahead. But they still need the federal government on board — and despite his talk, Carney still must walk the walk. And that may not be as easy as some may hope. Article content First, Carney has a very verdant past. He is a longtime climate finance evangelist, promoting green energy projects as chair of Brookfields, authoring a book on 'value(s),' arguing for ESG investment frameworks, and serving as the UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance. Will he turn his back on those beliefs — or find a way to reconcile them with pro-development positions? Article content Second, the Liberal Party's green flank is likely to see red. Former and current environment ministers Steven Guilbault and Julie Dabrusin are part of the anti-oil crowd, as are many rank and file members of the party in urban Ontario, Quebec, and B.C. Until now, they called the tune: under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Liberals were the party of carbon taxes, not carbon capture, of emissions caps, not Energy East. Article content Third, there are potential roadblocks that are out of Carney's control. Opposition is brewing among environmental and indigenous groups to his recently passed Bill C-5, the 'One Canadian Economy Act,' which promises to streamline approval for resource projects. Canada has seen civil disobedience before, when members of the Wet'suwet'en band blocked railways in early 2020 to protest pipeline construction: a sequel could be coming to a rail line near you, and it's not clear how Carney would respond.
