ARC ENERGY IDEAS

Latest Episodes:

The Battery Race: A Conversation with Bob Galyen Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

This week, we recorded the podcast at the Energy Disruptors: UNITE conference in Calgary. Our guest, Bob Galyen, is one of the top executives in the battery energy storage world and the former Chief Technology Officer of CATL. He now serves on boards in the emerging U.S. battery sector and owns Galyen Energy.

Battery technology has advanced significantly over the past decade, enabling EV adoption and backing up wind and solar power generation. New battery chemistries promise even greater utility, including longer duration, faster charging, and lower costs.

In their conversation with Bob, Peter and Jackie explore a wide range of topics, including new battery chemistries and Bob’s five golden rules of electrification: safety, performance, lifetime, cost, and environment. They also discuss the geopolitics of batteries and China’s dominance in the sector, including how the Chinese government supported the battery industry’s development. The conversation contrasts China’s approach with that of the United States, which is developing a domestic battery industry to reduce reliance on China for these critical materials and technologies.
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Alberta Data Centres: Opportunity and Opposition Sep 23, 2026

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This podcast is also available as a video on Youtube
Data centres have faced growing public backlash in the United States. In Alberta, opposition has been less widespread, and the provincial government supports the industry, but communities are raising concerns.

This week, our guests -Deirdre Sheehan, Partner and Co-Chair of the Regulatory, Indigenous and Environmental practice at Osler, and Marcus Rocque, Vice President of Research at the ARC Energy Research Institute, review the main concerns surrounding data centres, using the topics outlined in Premier Smith’s recent video as a guide:

What is a data centre, and why does Alberta want them?
Didn’t other places get burned by data centres?
How do Albertan’s actually benefit from these data centres?
Will my power bill go up?
What about water?
Who decides where these data centres get built?

Content referenced in this podcast:

Alberta Premier Smith video on six common questions on AI data centers

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A Bullish Outlook for Canadian and U.S. Natural Gas Sep 15, 2026

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This podcast is also available as a video on Youtube

This week on the podcast, our guest is Dulles Wang, Director of Americas Gas and LNG Research at Wood Mackenzie. Dulles co-authored the report Defying Gravity: Why U.S. Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices Are Set to Rise. He is also bullish on the longer-term outlook for Alberta natural gas prices (AECO).

The report comes as natural gas prices in the United States and Canada are depressed by abundant supply, especially in Canada, combined with an outlook for very warm winter weather.

Here are some of the questions Jackie and Peter asked Dulles: After years of low natural gas prices and abundant supply, why do you expect prices to rise? Is there a risk that supply could surprise again and continue growing fast enough to keep pace with demand growth, despite low prices? How do warmer winters affect the outlook, given that they appear to be becoming more common, including expectations for this upcoming winter? What is your outlook for Alberta natural gas prices and Canadian LNG exports? This has been a big year for M&A involving U.S. shale gas assets, with a new group of buyers that includes Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC, Saudi Aramco, and Japanese companies. What is driving this trend, and do you expect it to come to Canada?

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Canada’s Growing LPG Trade with Asia: A Conversation with Vern Yu Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

This week on the podcast, our guest is Vern Yu, President and CEO of AltaGas. AltaGas operates a midstream business focused on processing, transporting and marketing hydrocarbons, including natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs), such as propane and butane. The company also operates natural gas utilities in four U.S. states.

Here are some of the questions Jackie and Peter asked Vern: Based on your experience, particularly in your previous role at Enbridge, how difficult was it to build oil pipelines in Canada historically, and are you optimistic that this is changing? How long has AltaGas been exporting liquefied petroleum gases (LPGs) from Prince Rupert, and how much will volumes grow once the new Ridley Island Energy Export Facility (REEF) is completed? How would you describe Asian demand for LPGs and Canada’s competitive position relative to the United States and the Middle East? Is the growth of AltaGas’s LPG business dependent on aggressive natural gas production growth in Western Canada? AltaGas distributes natural gas in several U.S. markets through your utilities, including Virginia, a hot spot for data-centre growth. What are your growth expectations for data centres, given the growing opposition in Virgina? As a company operating in both Canada and the United States, and even supplying natural gas to the White House, how is the U.S.-Canada trade war affecting your business?

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Tariffs, Tankers, and Data Centre Tensions Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

The podcast is back after the summer break! Peter and Jackie begin with the escalating U.S.–Canada trade war, including renewed calls to use Canadian energy exports as leverage by reducing exports or imposing tariffs. Both approaches would hurt Canada more than the United States. They also discuss Canada’s new counter-tariffs, which take effect on September 8.

Next, they examine oil markets as the Strait of Hormuz closes again. With tanker traffic low and difficult to track, and refined-product markets tight, uncertainty remains high, with risks seemingly skewed toward higher oil prices in the near term.

They also discuss growing opposition to data centres, including permitting pauses in several U.S. states and local concerns about Meta’s planned development in Sturgeon County, Alberta.

Peter and Jackie then review Canadian LNG and oil pipeline developments from over the summer.

Finally, Graeme Edge, founder and CEO of Energy Disruptors, joins the podcast to preview the conference taking place in Calgary on September 28 and 29.

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Hormuz Risk, Pipeline Momentum, and Alberta’s New Gigawatt Data Centre Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

This week’s podcast is the final episode before Peter and Jackie take a summer break. The show will return to its weekly schedule in September.

The episode begins with oil market news, as conflict with Iran flares up again and the Strait of Hormuz re-emerges as a critical chokepoint. Peter and Jackie discuss higher-than-expected global oil inventories at this point in the conflict, recent demand trends, and changes in China’s oil imports. While longer-term shifts, including substitution and the rerouting of oil around the Strait, are easier to anticipate, the short-term outlook remains highly uncertain.

Next, they recap the Calgary Stampede pipeline announcements, including the proposed West Coast oil pipeline and the earlier-stage Alberta-to-Ontario project. They also revisit frequently asked questions raised in conversations with the media and industry over the past week.

Finally, they review the news of Meta’s proposed $13 billion Alberta data centre project, along with the Greenlight Limited Partnership power project announced on July 2. They close by considering growing opposition to data centres, a topic Peter discussed at the Upper Bound conference in Edmonton this past May, where he participated on a panel exploring what the AI industry can learn from the energy sector.

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Oil Pipeline News, Plus Natural Gas with Enbridge’s Michele Harradence Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

This week, the podcast starts with news on the West Coast oil pipeline. On July 2, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that a pipeline project exceeding 1 MMB/d was ready to be submitted to the Major Projects Office. Earlier that same day, PM Carney and B.C. Premier David Eby announced a Canada–B.C. Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, and, as part of the broader economic agreement, B.C. would not oppose a southern marine terminal for the oil pipeline.

On July 6, there was more pipeline news, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Premier Smith announcing an early-stage feasibility study for a pipeline connecting Alberta to Ontario’s refining region in Sarnia.

Peter and Jackie then welcomed Michele Harradence, Enbridge’s Executive Vice President and President, Gas Distribution and Storage, and the new Chair of the Board of the Canadian Gas Association (CGA), to the podcast.

Peter and Jackie asked Michele about municipal bans on natural gas, the role of natural gas in cold-climate reliability, and natural gas’s GHG emissions. They also discussed the outlook for North American natural gas demand growth, including demand from AI data centres, and whether supply can keep pace. Finally, they compared the regulatory process for major projects in Canada with that in the United States.

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Canadian Electricity and the New Nuclear Strategy Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

This week, our guest is Mike Law, former president and CEO of the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). Mike now leads MGL Advisory Services Ltd. and advises several companies, including Energy Alberta, where he is head of power system integration. Energy Alberta is proposing a nuclear generating station in northern Alberta's Peace River region.

The podcast touches on a long list of Canadian electricity policy initiatives, including the federal government’s Nuclear Energy Strategy (June 22) and the Electricity Strategy (May 14). Other policies that are impacting investment and growth forecasts include the Alberta-Canada MOU, the Clean Electricity Regulations (CER), and – specific to Alberta – the new Data Centre Regulation and the Restructured Energy Market (REM).

Topics covered include Canada’s need for new electricity generation to meet growing demand, including from AI data centres; how the CER is creating uncertainty for investment in new natural gas generation; and how Alberta’s REM adds another layer of uncertainty. The discussion also covers Canada’s new nuclear strategy and the plan to build 10 new reactors, including how it compares with the U.S. push toward a similar target. Finally, Mike outlines Energy Alberta’s large-scale Peace River nuclear project, including timelines, regulatory requirements, costs, and stakeholder engagement.

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Angela Stent on Putin's War in Ukraine Jun 23, 2026

Show notes

This week on the podcast, our guest is Angela Stent, a globally recognized authority on U.S.-Russia relations. Angela has held senior roles at Georgetown University, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Brookings Institution, the U.S. State Department, the National Intelligence Council, and the Council on Foreign Relations, among others. She is also an award-winning author; some of her books include The Limits of Partnership: U.S.-Russian Relations in the Twenty-First Century (2014) and Putin's World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest (2019).

Russia's war with Ukraine is increasingly becoming an energy war. As Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities improve, it has begun hitting Russian energy infrastructure with growing success, meaningfully reducing Russia's ability to produce refined products and crude oil. Jackie and Peter explore the complex geopolitics of the conflict with Angela, including Russia's relationships with Europe, the United States, and China. They also discuss the implications for Canada, including the growing attractiveness of energy from a stable supplier, a point recognized at the recent G7 meeting in France, where Canada was identified as a welcome source of energy to diversify away from supply routed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Jackie and Peter ask Angela: Ukraine has delivered military strikes deep inside Russia this year — does that kind of pressure move Putin toward ending the war? How does Putin view the recent U.S.-Iran conflict, and what are the implications for the Russia-Ukraine war? Beyond Ukraine, is Russia a threat to other European countries? What is a realistic path to ending the war, and what would the best-case scenario look like?

Content referenced on this podcast:

G7 leaders' statement on geopolitical issues (June 17, 2026), welcoming the potential of Canada to deliver significant additional capacity to global markets in the coming years

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Two Topics: MOU with Iran and a Tour of the Westridge Marine Terminal Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

This week on the podcast, Peter and Jackie begin with the big news of June 14th: the United States and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to end the war, which takes the form of a memorandum of understanding (MOU). While the agreement leaves numerous details to be settled, both sides expect that shipping will resume through the Strait of Hormuz as a result.

They then recap last week's episode with the Honourable Brian Jean, Alberta's Minister of Energy and Minerals, and his optimism about changes in the province that are expected to shorten regulatory timelines and advance a West Coast oil pipeline application toward submission in July. Peter and Jackie also discuss Alberta's referendum question this fall on separation, and how foreign investors may view it.

On June 9, 2026, Peter Tertzakian toured Trans Mountain’s Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, British Columbia, which exports Western Canadian crude oil to tidewater. Peter shares some of what he learned, including comments from people working at the terminal on safety, tanker filling times, and the project to deepen the channel, which would increase the amount of crude oil that can be loaded onto each ship.

Content referenced in this podcast:

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