Report from the President May 2017

Transcription

1 Report from the President May 2017 May was a busy month for the Energy Council of Canada, highlighted by the first Board meeting of 2017, a workshop with Natural Resources Canada on their Generation Energy Project, our event in Regina on the theme Multiple Pathways to Clean Energy, two site visits to world-leading carbon capture and storage projects in Saskatchewan, and earlier in the month, a speech at the USEA s Annual Membership meeting in Washington. Highlighting the May Board meeting was the approval of the nominee of the 2017 Canadian Energy Person of the Year, Mr. Al Monaco, President and CEO, Enbridge Inc. I am very pleased to report that our first three events in our 2017 cross-canada program to profile energy in Canada s 150th year have attracted over 450 attendees. These include the 2017 Canadian Energy Industry Updates and Insights event in February, which focused on energy end-use technologies, the March event in Vancouver on Exploring Canada s and B.C. s Place in the Evolving Global Energy Market, and most recently, the event in Regina on Multiple Pathways to Clean Energy: Canada s Western Provinces. We were also very pleased to launch the Energy Council s Young Energy Professionals program on May 9. This is one of the three Energy Council initiatives to commemorate Canada s 150th year. Details are provided below. Energy Activities in Regina May 8, 9, 10 We thoroughly enjoyed the five back-to-back events which took place in Regina on May Meeting of the Board of Directors, May 8, Regina Items dealt with by the Board at the first Board meeting in 2017 were the approval of three new member organizations (Global Public Affairs, the Canadian Propane Association, and the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition), approval of the Energy Council s 2016 audited financial statements, and a discussion about engagement in NRCan s Generation Energy Workshop. Date May 8 May 9 May 9 Event Board of Directors Meeting Generation Energy Workshop Partnered with Natural Resources Canada Multiple Pathways to Clean Energy Opening Reception Launch of the Energy Council s Young Energy Professionals Program Multiple Pathways to Clean Energy Keynotes, Sessions Carbon Capture and Storage Presentations CCS Knowledge Centre CCS Aquistore Project Site Visits Boundary Dam Carbon Capture Project and Aquistore Project, Estevan, SK The highlight of the meeting was the approval of the recommendation made by the Nominating Committee May for the 2017 Canadian Energy Person of the Year. The 10 Board approved Mr. Al Monaco as the 2017 recipient of the award. The award ceremony will take place in Toronto on November 16. The Board discussed participation in three upcoming events: The North America Region Energy Forum on September 12 in Mexico City; the launch of the Young Energy Professionals program; and the planning

2 2 underway for the 2017 Energy and Mines Ministers Conference in mid-august hosted by the Government of New Brunswick. Looking ahead, the Board will next meet in Toronto on November 16 for the regular Board meeting and Annual General Meeting, prior to the CEPY award ceremony. Generation Energy Workshop, November 8 Partnered with Natural Resources Canada energy future. This project is a six-month round of consultations across the country to gather ideas for Canada s energy future roughly one generation into the future. From the launch of the project on April 21, Canada s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, today launched Generation Energy, a national dialogue on Canada s path to a low-carbon future. The purpose of this dialogue is to invite all Canadians to share their ideas and participate in helping define Canada s Today marks the beginning of a six-month national conversation, which will take place face to face with provinces and territories, Indigenous groups, international experts and academics, and online with all Canadians through The program for this event was developed jointly by NRCan officials, the Energy Council of Canada, and the workshop facilitator Mr. Bruce Dudley, Senior Vice President, Delphi Group. This was the first Generation Energy workshop event so the objectives were general in nature: Raise awareness of Generation Energy initiative; Clarify difference between GenEn visioning and Pan-Canadian Framework and other government initiatives such as Mission Innovation; Gain stakeholder views and concerns with respect to the future of energy in Canada; and, Discuss challenges and opportunities to feed into the Generation Energy project. Kim Rudd, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources Canada, opened the workshop, followed by a plenary session to identify the key issues relevant to the future of energy in Canada. Table discussions on each issue and then reports were followed. The main themes from the Regina workshop, as reported by NRCan, are: Officials from NRCan joined the Energy Council of Canada in welcoming 70 attendees from universities, energy companies, indigenous organizations, provincial governments, and utilities. Key workshop themes were: Canada s energy future is not just about achieving our emissions targets but also ensuring that energy is affordable, reliable and accessible. Canada s long-term energy future should be informed by the values of respect, openness, transparency, affordability, innovation and equality. All levels of government need to cooperate to achieve our common results and objectives

3 3 A future vision for energy in Canada includes one where Indigenous communities have no more energy poverty, are active in decision-making and the economy, and have equal access to programs and information. This event provided the Energy Council with an excellent opportunity to partner with NRCan making use of our convening power and our experience with organizing and delivering events. Looking ahead, the Generation Energy Project will culminate in a symposium to be held in Winnipeg during the week of October 10. Launch of the Energy Council s Young Energy Professionals Program The Young Energy Professionals Program is one of the Energy Council s initiatives to commemorate Canada s 150 th anniversary. It is focused on contributing to development of the next generation of Canada s energy leaders. Participants will have an excellent opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the Canadian energy industry, to meet their counterparts from other parts of the energy sector, and, most importantly, to become better acquainted with today s energy leaders by attending our events. They will be linked through social media and will be invited to contribute to the programs of future Energy Council events. Another benefit for participants is becoming aware of the ongoing studies led by the World Energy Council and connecting with their counterparts engaged in the WEC s Future Leaders Program. Each Member of the Energy Council has been invited to identify young professionals in their organizations who would benefit from an opportunity to further develop their knowledge and networks by selectively engaging in Energy Council events and activities. The program was launched during the Young Energy Professionals Breakfast on May 9. Eight participants from four of our member companies joined several Energy Council Executive Committee members at breakfast. In the roundtable discussion, they identified areas of opportunity for their participation in the program: broadening their knowledge of other energy sectors; networking with their peers and energy executives from other sectors at Energy Council events; learning more about career paths in the energy sector; and, taking advantage of the opportunity to discuss energy issues with their peers. We look forward to welcoming additional Young Professionals from our Member organizations. Please contact the Ottawa office if there any questions about this program

4 4 Multiple Pathways to Clean Energy: Canada s Provinces, May 8 and 9, Regina Western Our conference on May 8 and 9 in Regina was a great success. Over 160 attendees heard keynote sessions and policy insights from four provincial energy and environment ministers from western Canada, and from Ms. Kim Rudd, the federal Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources Canada. The presentations by the political leaders indicted that there is close policy alignment between the federal and provincial governments around finding a prudent balance between developing Canada s natural resources and protecting and preserving the environment. Each province is following its own path based on the characteristics of its economy, its resource base, and policy preferences, leading to a diverse mix of policies, measures and initiatives. Preserving competitiveness in trade-exposed sectors was frequently mentioned as an important economic consideration as climate policies are designed and implemented. Innovation, seizing opportunities for Canadian companies providing global environmental expertise and GHG mitigation technologies, and aggressive targets to transform provincial electricity generation portfolios were government initiatives mentioned frequently by the Ministers. Sessions examined three pathways to clean energy in western Canada, two pertaining to individual jurisdictions, transformation of the electricity generation mix and climate policy, and a third calling for close collaboration to seize the emerging regional opportunity to develop a western Canada electricity grid. Transformation of the Electricity Generation Mix Session Chair: Mike Marsh, President and CEO, SaskPower Key points were the importance of: avoiding policies that pre-determine or bias technology choices so that choices can be made from a diverse mix of cost-effective options including fossil fuels, nuclear options, and renewables rather than picking winners or prematurely eliminating technology options; developing energy storage capacity; not over-burdening the electricity system alone with policy initiatives to achieve GHG targets; keeping the public informed and engaged; avoiding unintended consequences such as reducing competitiveness; and, improving further on Canada s current clean electricity generation, which is already 80% emissions-free

5 5 Climate Policy Session Chair: Martha Hall Findlay, President and CEO, Canada West Foundation Highlighting this session were the need for: cross-canada government leadership acting altruistically in Canada s best interest; engaging politicians in the federal, provincial and municipal governments to avoid conflicting policies; finding a way to consolidate the results of the diverse mix of policies which have emerged to date; clearly stating the implicit carbon prices and social impacts arising from individual policy initiatives; and, for a source of comprehensive and reliable data which reveals the actual reductions achieved, the cost per tonne, and the broader economic impacts. Discussion of the many social dimensions of climate policy on Canada s First Nations must start, and continue, with honour, trust, and respect. This approach will foster genuine, value-based cooperation between Indigenous Peoples, governments, and energy companies which includes consideration of education, health care, and demographic dimensions. Regional Western Canada Electricity Grid Session Chair: Kelvin Shepherd, President and CEO, Manitoba Hydro Summarizing this session, there is a significant opportunity at hand to substantially increase the interconnections between Canada s western provinces. Enhanced reliability and grid stability, enabling the transformation from coal-based generation systems to a greater share of clean generation, and profiting from sale of excess power to a neighbouring jurisdiction were seen as advantages of increased electricity trade. Requirements to make this happen were cited: new financing from the federal government for new transmission capacity; communicating the advantages of increased trade to the public; and, providing support for workers and company towns impacted negatively by the transition from coal to a cleaner generation mix. In closing, this conference provided information, insights and recommendations to guide progress along pathways to clean energy in western Canada. The conference was an excellent example of how the Energy Council of Canada acts to fulfill its strategic goals of informing public policy and fostering objective and open energy dialogue amongst a broad cross-section of policy-makers, energy leaders, academics, and experts. The details from the keynote presentations and the panel discussions have been posted on the Energy Council s website at Two Site Visits Estevan, Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is the home of world-leading initiatives in carbon capture and storage technology. This emerging technology offers a promising pathway to reducing GHG emissions from the use of fossil fuels for power generation and in industrial operations. On May 10, we visited two very interesting CCS projects near Estevan. These projects in combination capture CO 2 emissions from a coal-fired power plant, transport the captured CO 2 to a neighbouring - 5 -

6 6 oilfield by pipeline, and then permanently store the remaining CO 2 in a deep-seated geological layer. SaskPower s Boundary Dam CCS Project captures CO 2 from one of the plants four generation units. The scale of the equipment required to capture the CO 2 from the flue gas stream and prepare it for transport by pipeline were most impressive. At the Aquistore Project, CO 2 is injected into a deep geological layer where it is stored permanently. The project includes a comprehensive suite of remote sensing and detection tools to monitor the movement of the injected CO 2 in the geological reservoir located at a depth of 3,400 m. We greatly appreciate the generosity of both SaskPower and the Petroleum Technology Research Centre for hosting the two site visits and providing excellent briefings on the technologies involved and their experiences to date with these world-leading projects. North America Region Energy Forum September 12 and 13, Mexico City Looking ahead to September, the upcoming North America Region Energy Forum has the timely theme Regional Collaboration on Climate, Clean Energies and Environmental Issues. Four topics will be pursued in panel sessions: Medium and Long-Term Energy Scenarios for North America; Technologies for GHG Reduction; Climate Change Policies; and Energy Trade within North America. Confirmed speakers include: Ged Davis, Executive Chair, World Energy Council Studies Group; Jay Khosla, Assistant Deputy Minister, Energy, Natural Resources Canada; Francisco Barnes, past Deputy Secretary for Planning. Energy Secretariat and past Commissioner of the Energy Regulatory Commission; Mike Howard, President, Electric Power Research Institute; and, Edgar Ubbelohde, past Chairman of the Board ( ) of the Mexican Chamber of Electrical Manufacturers. Bob Hanf, Executive Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Emera Inc., and North America Region Vice Chair, World Energy Council will open and close the event. Following the Forum, the World Energy Council will host the World Energy Leader Summit (WELS) on September 13. Further details will be available soon on the WELS program

7 7 Outreach on Behalf of the Energy Council Colin Andersen, Graham Campbell Colin Andersen, Chair Energy Council of Canada, represented the Energy Council at two events in May. At the Third Annual National Energy Roundtable Conference on the ECCs behalf, discussions included electrification opportunities, a Canadian gas strategy, carbon regulation and expanding existing low carbon business models. While there, he spoke with Minister Thibeault about our 2017 program. The Energy Council of Canada was well represented by several members in attendance. On June 5, Colin Andersen attended a discussion amongst business and policy leaders on the Future of Money in his capacity as the Energy Council Chair and also as a former Ontario Deputy Minister of Finance. Speakers were from the Bank of Canada, the Pentagon and Fortune Magazine among others. One interesting discussion was about the emergence of alternative currencies and their role in disrupting various sectors including the energy sector of developing countries. I was invited to make a keynote presentation at the Annual General Meeting of the United States Energy Association on May 5 in Washington DC. My presentation covered: a brief introduction to the World Energy Council, highlights of recent North American activities, a preview of the upcoming North American Region Energy Forum on September 12, and highlights of recent World Energy Council reports. This presentation is available from the Ottawa office. Looking ahead, the second half of 2017 will feature an event in Halifax and two in Toronto. Details will be available shortly. We look forward to your feedback on this report and on the events and activities highlighted above. With best regards, Graham Campbell President, Energy Council of Canada - 7 -