ARC ENERGY IDEAS

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? 
Content referenced in this podcast: 
Video of construction at Ridley Island Energy Export Facility (REEF) on LinkedIn  
Enbridge Tour for Cancer (Register for 2027 and Donate) 
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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. 
Content referenced on this podcast: 
CAPP Data Hub and the specific Data Book titled “Canadian Imports of U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Refined Products”  
ARC podcast on the Impacts of Tariffs on Canadian Oil and Gas from January 14, 2025  
List of products from the United States subject to counter-tariffs effective September 8, 2026 - Canada.ca 
Calgary Herald article that Anthropic, maker of Claude, is looking to put boots on the Ground in Alberta (August 20, 2026) 
Alberta Premier Smith video on six common questions on AI data centers 
Montana Revokes Bridger Pipeline Waiver After Legal Challenge, Pipeline & Gas Journal, July 29, 2026 
The Pipeline Comes First, Studio.Energy, August 25, 2026  
Energy Disruptors conference information 
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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. 
Content referenced in this podcast:
Alberta’s West Coast Oil Pipeline Submission to the Major Projects Office (July 2, 2026) 
Jackie Forrest’s Globe and Mail op-ed “The Iran war, the Saudis’ bold bet and why Canada needs a new pipeline” (May 6, 2026) 
Jackie Forrest’s Globe and Mail op-ed “Finally, Canada steps up as the energy superpower the world needs it to be” (July 1, 2026) 
Chris Varcoe in the Calgary Herald “Meta unveils massive $13B, gigawatt-scale development in Alberta, Canada's largest data centre” (July 8, 2026) 
Meta’s Sturgeon Data Centre information  
Upper Bound conference in Edmonton, recording of the conference panel on What AI can learn from the energy sector’s scars that Peter Tertzakian participated in (held May 2026) 
A report by Data Center Watch on opposition (Q1 2026 update)
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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. 
Content referenced in this podcast: 
Canada and British Columbia's new cooperative prosperity partnership (July 2, 2026) 
Canada and Alberta advance west coast pipeline project proposal and Pathways Project Carbon Capture Initiative (July 2, 2026) 
Prime Minister Mark Carney forward guidance video on Canada’s energy future (June 30, 2026) 
ARC Energy Ideas heat pump podcast “Decarbonizing heat: Are air-source heat pumps the solution for Canada? (June 11, 2024) 
Ontario unveils proposed route for Northern Shield Energy Corridor (July 6, 2026) 
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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. 
Content referenced in this podcast:  
Nuclear Energy Strategy for Canada (June 29, 2026) 
Powering Canada Strong: A National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy (May 14, 2026) 
Energy Futures: BC Hydro Turns Back to Natural Gas to Help Fill Electricity Gap (June 1, 2026) 
Alberta Data Centre Regulation (June 9, 2026) 
CBC: Power plant proposed for area northeast of Edmonton inches closer to becoming reality (June 24, 2026) 
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