The past several years has seen a strong focus on Canada meeting its climate change commitments through a series of regulations, taxes and mandates aimed at reducing carbon emissions and increasing electrification. However, with inflation and the corresponding cost of living crisis, the impetus has shifted towards a focus on bringing the trilemma of reliability, affordability and sustainability in better balance.
The Canadian energy sector is further being impacted by dramatic geopolitical shifts. The West’s trade war with China and the trade policies of the incoming Trump presidency will be particularly impactful for Canadian producers, investors and potentially, consumers.
Where does this leave Canada? The country’s energy sector is uniquely positioned to be a global leader in transforming energy systems and potentially, as a global supplier of choice for energy security. Updating and expanding the country’s energy infrastructure and production represents an unprecedented technical challenge, and opportunity, that will see trillions of dollars capital deployed. However, update it must if the country is the reclaim its competitive edge and get growth rates in line with the United States.
At the 20th anniversary Calgary Energy Roundtable on Thursday, May 29th, a high-powered line-up of speakers will share their insights on these topics and how they are affecting the evolution of the Canadian energy sector and its role in the country’s, and the world’s, energy future. Topics will include:
Thursday, May 29th, Imperial Ballroom, Hyatt Regency Calgary, 700 Centre Street S
| Conference MC | Jason Langrish, President, The Energy Roundtable | |
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| 7:20 am | Registration opens. Breakfast served. | |
| 8:00 am | Welcome remarks | |
| 8:05 am |
Panel discussion: The oil and gas outlook. Canada’s oil and gas industry and drilling services sector has a favourable outlook for 2025. The province of Alberta has forecast oil and gas investment in Alberta will climb by seven per cent annually in 2025, reaching almost $35 billion. The key question for Canadian producers seems to lie more with political and regulatory risk, including the proposed federal emissions cap and Trump tariffs, which could hit energy exporters. A weakening Canadian dollar and an expansion of export capacity offer promise for energy demand. However, despite global demand, many new energy projects are currently seen as non-starters, as governments pledge decarbonization. The panel will provide perspectives on oil and gas development in Canada going forward.
Discussion led by: tbc |
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| 8:55 am |
Fireside chat: Canadian energy – a contrarian view
Discussion led by: Kevin Kerr, Partner, Blake, Cassel’s & Grayson LLP |
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| 9:20 am | Panel discussion: Investor perspectives on Canadian energy. 2024 has seen increased M&A activity in the energy sector, driven by companies seeking to achieve scale. Stability on crude pricing has supported deals. The gas side of the market has been hobbled by price volatility and doubts over future demand and the speed of LNG build-out. In 2023, Alberta accounted for more than 92% of Canada’s overall growth in renewable energy and storage capacity, with projects representing $33 billion of investment. Following the lifting of the Alberta government’s moratorium on new, large wind and solar electricity projects, investment has yet to return as companies choose instead to invest in other provinces, including Québec, B.C. Hydro, Ontario and SaskPower. With a pro energy Trump administration is set to take office in early 2025, and a change of federal leadership expected in 2025, will Canada become more attractive to foreign capital? The panel will provide investor perspectives on Canadian energy going forward.
Discussion led by: tbc |
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| 10:00 am | Networking break | |
| 10:30 am | Fireside chat: The politics of energy and resources: how Canada can stay competitive
Discussion led by: tbc |
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| 11:00 am | Panel discussion: Regulatory overkill – how do we bring back the mega-project? The result of numerous policy and regulatory burdens, tied with a weak commodities market, has led to a huge decline in investment in energy and resource projects in Canada since 2015. The impacts go beyond the oil and gas sector, with investment declines also occurring in electricity, mining, and transportation. Data from Natural Resources Canada’s annual major projects inventory (those that are under construction or planned within the next ten years) show a decline from $711 billion in major projects at its peak in 2015, to $572 billion in 2023 in real dollars. If Canada had retained 2015 levels of planned investment and kept pace with inflation, the figure today would be $886 billion. Megaprojects TMX and Coastal Gas Link have recently been completed and will be removed from next year’s inventory. LNG Canada and Site C will follow soon after. What megaprojects will take their place? The panel will examine how Canada can reverse its decline in competitiveness and bring back the megaproject.
Discussion led by: tbc |
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| 11:40 am | Panel discussion: Indigenous ownership – de-risking regulatory and capital risk
Discussion led by: tbc |
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| 12:10 pm | Luncheon | |
| 1:00 pm | Keynote address | |
| 1:30 pm | Panel discussion: Power and utilities – balancing the energy trilemma. Plentiful electricity provides a tremendous potential competitive advantage in a world focused on carbon reduction, including in the resource sector. However, as energy systems evolve, managing the tension between legacy assets and disruptive technologies is essential for the system as a whole to provide value and achieve decarbonization in a cost-effective manner. Canada and its trading partners are locked in an intense competition to draw high value manufacturing and services to their jurisdictions, including a boom in data centre growth. Panelists will examine to role of energy market design, incentives and infrastructure in creating a competitive, innovative ecosystem for citizens and industrial consumers alike.
Discussion led by: tbc |
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| 2:15 pm | Panel discussion: Disruptive energy technologies. From technological innovations such renewable fuels, carbon capture, hydrogen or efficiency improvements, companies are exploring a multitude of options to increase productivity, reduce emissions and increase consumer choice, while keeping their eyes on returns on capital. The panel will discuss which technologies are emerging at scale and the pace and impact of their implementation.
Discussion led by: tbc |
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| 3:00 pm | Panel discussion: How Canada can use energy and resources to make itself indispensable. With Donald Trump set to take office, tariffs on Canadian energy exports are firmly on the table. Canada has built infrastructure to diversify its energy exports, including the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and LNG Canada, which is set to start shipments later this year. However, the bulk of Canada’s energy exports still go to the US. Canada’s trade surplus with the US, a fixation of President Trump, is largely due to Canadian crude oil exports, which the US buys at a discount to feed their Gulf Coast refineries. We Canada be able to continue efforts at export diversification whilst positioning its energy sector as indispensable to our American neighbours? The panel will examine how Canada can engage in a meaningful way with our allies and play a leading role in shaping global energy security.
Discussion led by: tbc |
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| 3:45 pm |
Close by Jason Langrish, President, The Energy Roundtable |
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| 4:00 pm | Networking reception | |
