BURST
Canada can’t keep the lights on anymore by relying on its playbook of operating siloed regional utilities, favouring trade to the U.S. over neighbouring provinces, and coasting by on its serendipitous geology and geography. For a nation rich in oil, gas, hydro, wind, solar and critical minerals, we have somehow shot wide on an empty net. We have allowed this supercharged resource portfolio to fracture into incompatible energy kingdoms where power lines encounter resistance at provincial borders, we can’t refine raw products we extract, and proposed energy infrastructure projects face insurmountable regulatory hurdles. The potential of uniting the country with nation-spanning energy corridors, enabling the optimized distribution of domestic molecules, megawatts, and free trade from coast to (almost) coast is enticing. It could be the nation-building co-operation we need in theseAwaiting a cut to 650 unprecedented times.
The cracks are showing in Canada’s energy systems. During a -45°C January night, Albertans received an emergency AESO text to cut power use or face blackouts. It was a stark reminder of aging power infrastructure stretched to its breaking point. The U.S.’s trade upheaval has exposed the risk of relying on a single customer for our most valuable resources. Faced with these challenges, Canadians need a united approach to energy security.
After decades of posturing on cross-country energy infrastructure, Canadian leaders have woken up and chosen action. PM Carney is engaging premiers on a plan for a national trade and energy corridor, including a proposed $5B Trade Diversification Corridor Fund to build a pipeline that will transport hydrocarbons from Alberta production to Ontario refinement. If we aspire to be an energy superpower, this kind of federal-provincial co-operation is needed to achieve economic sovereignty.
The reality of an East-West Energy Corridor materialized in August when the Ontario-Alberta-Saskatchewan partnership called on Canadian companies’ engineering, construction and commercial expertise to evaluate the project’s feasibility. The provinces and feds need analyses on corridor route optimization, port siting consideration, environmental impact, Indigenous participation and equity, lifecycle cost analysis, risk mitigation and adjacent development opportunities.
A pan-regional electrical corridor could follow, though increasing electrical interconnections and establishing Right of First Refusals between neighbouring provinces might make more sense. Baseload fossil-fuel grids in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick optimizing supply with hydropower grids in B.C., Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland would increase system resiliency and reduce Canada’s carbon footprint.
AtkinsRéalis is helping to create a responsible energy corridor project plan, comprehensively addressing the needs of all stakeholders, in contrast to previously fragmented efforts. These pipeline and powerline analyses will ensure benefit and respect for all stakeholders, including Canadian taxpayers counting on their government to make responsible decisions. The time for a nation-building project has never been better because the need has never been greater.
Make no mistake, energy corridors face significant challenges, requiring technical expertise and political resolve. Pipelines, transmission lines and LNG terminals fast-tracked under national interest legislation cannot come at the expense of regional consent. This alliance of politicians who pride themselves on getting things done insist these projects will tear down provincial trade barriers and grant Canada some long overdue economic sovereignty. Their plans demand big things built faster, shortening approval timelines and fast-tracking regional buy-in in the process. The governments involved are serious about proceeding, and we need to ensure the necessary consultation isn’t bypassed in our haste to achieve these goals.
Canadians need to choose between clinging to our provincial energy island divisions or taking the political and economic leap of faith needed to secure our collective energy future. An energy corridor, if proven by our technical experts to be our best choice for bolstering our energy security and resilience, will either unite the nation or reveal how deep our regional divisions truly are.
obert Erickson is the director of business development, power and renewables at AtkinsRéalis, based in Calgary.