2016 Conference Programme

Conference chair Caroline Saunders, British Consul General, Calgary
 

8:00 am

   

Welcome by Monica Rovers, Head of Business Development, Global Energy, TMX Group

8:05 am  

Address by Margaret McCuaig-Boyd, Alberta Minister of Energy

   
8:35 am   Panel 1: Canada’s position in a world of over capacity

A recovery in energy prices remains elusive, with some forecasters calling low prices the new normal, while others predicts a rebound in prices in 2016. According to the Financial Times, some $1 trillion in planned production projects globally are in danger of cancellation. In this uncertain environment a wave of M&A activity has been predicted, but has yet to materialize as companies have retrenched, cutting costs, spinning off royalty lands and issuing shares to shore up balance sheets. Still, many producers continue to build out mega projects given existing capital commitments and in quest to secure economies of scale and market share for when a rebound materializes. But the challenges keep coming, including new carbon emissions regulations for the already high cost oil sands and a lack of meaningful access to global markets. The panel will examine the strategies that are being pursued in this turbulent time and offer perspectives on how companies can best position themselves in a world of over supply.

 
  • Ross Bayus, President, Valero Energy Inc.
  • Shane Walper, President & CEO, Predator Drilling
  • Bill Marko, Managing Director, Jefferies LLP (Houston)
  • Mike McAllister, Chief Operating Officer, Encana

Chair: Mungo-Hardwicke Brown, Partner, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

9:45 am   Networking break
     
10:15 am   Address by Ian Anderson, President, Kinder Morgan Canada
     
10:45 am   Panel 2: What is to be done with all this natural gas?

With record levels of production in the US, Canadian gas producers require new sources of demand for its 300-500 years worth of product. While the mood for Canadian LNG has dampened, the case remains for developing at least some of the projects. East Asia remains the world’s largest LNG import market and Canada will have to battle for market share there against more advanced competitors such as Australia adn Qatar. The Canadian advantage is a potentially lower cost of delivery, but to realize this and avoid the mistakes of other LNG shippers, Canada must develop a streamlined ecosystem for producing and exporting natural gas through enhanced regulatory processes, industry consolidation and in building out infrastructure. Natural gas is a cost effective fuel that can play a role in foreign and domestic clean energy systems, and has potentially widespread application in petrochemicals, transport and power generation. Will all this be enough to put a floor under gas prices? Panelists will discuss how to expand export, industrial and commercial uses for natural gas.

   
  • Byng Giraud, Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Country Manager, Woodfibre LNG
  • Yukio Kishigami, Executive Vice President, JAPEX Montney
  • Pat Carlson, Chief Executive Officer, Seven Generations Energy
  • Rob Dakers, Commercial Director, LNG Canada
  • Patrick Keys, Vice President, Commercial West, TransCanada

Chair: Mary Hemmingsen, Partner, Global Head of LNG, National Sector Leader, Power and Utilities, KPMG

12:00 pm   Lunch with address (at 12:45) by Brian Vaasjo, Capital Power, President & CEO, Capital Power
 

1:15 pm

 

Hon. Rich Coleman, BC Minister of Natural Gas Development and Deputy Premier

1:45 pm   Afternoon Panel 1: Sustainable project outcomes in a cost driven world

Energy producers at the high end of the global cost curve adjust to a world of far tougher competition. As the squeeze continues, companies are shoring up balance sheets and enforcing capital discipline to contain project costs and focus only on the most profitable ventures. In the last twenty years in the oil and gas industry the delivery of capital projects has suffered from cost and schedule over-runs, almost to the extent that they are expected but still not accepted. In Western Canada companies repeatedly resolve to get their capital projects under control, only to see the problem repeat itself with the implementation of new strategies. The panel will consider industry understanding of the reasons for cost and schedule over-runs and discuss the technologies and best practices for improving predictability and generating sustainable outcomes for industrial projects.

   
  • Elizabeth Sanborn, Chief Operating Officer, Independent Project Analysis (IPA)
  • Simon Nottingham, General Manager, Fluor Canada
  • Linda Coady, Chief Sustainability Officer, Enbridge
  • Joe Mulhall, President, Canadian Union of Skilled Workers

Chair: Pierre Alvarez, Vice Chair, Global Public Affairs

2:45 pm   Afternoon panel 2: The financial implications of carbon regulations for the energy sector

A UN climate accord was achieved in Paris with a goal of limiting global warming to an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times. The Prime Minister and Premiers begins are now attempting to hammer out an agreement that will allow Canada to meet its emissions reduction targets. Alberta will be introducing an ambitious carbon-pricing scheme that has received mixed reviews from the energy sector. Will each province adopt its own policies or will we see a national minimum carbon tax? Will Canada develop an approach to climate change that is focused on technological solutions that will allow the country to meet its climate commitments and also take advantage of economic opportunities presented by the global decarbonization trend? How will investors treat companies that have a large carbon profile going forward? The session will explore how Canada can pursue a climate change strategy that ensures the country meets its carbon reduction commitments and prospers as a result.

 
  • Barbara Zvan, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Risk, Chief Investment Risk Officer Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
  • Jennifer Winter, Director of the Energy and Environmental Policy Area, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary
  • Gordon Murray, Executive Director, Wood Pellet Association of Canada
  • Audrey Mascarenhas, President & CEO, Questor Technology Inc. 

Chair: Jackie Forrest, Vice President, Energy Research, ARC Financial Corp.

 3:45 pm   Close by Jason Langrish, President, The Energy Roundtable