The Canadian Bitcoiners Podcast - Bitcoin News With a Canadian Spin - Canada: The Energy Superpower - CBP Quick Currents

Episode Date: April 26, 2025

FRIENDS AND ENEMIESIs it time for Canada to embrace its destiny as an energy superpower, or will consensus continue to kill momentum and halt our big move on the world's biggest stage?Let's look into it.This show is sponsored by: easyDNS - ⁠⁠www.easydns.com⁠⁠ EasyDNS is the best spot for Anycast DNS, domain name registrations, web and email services. They are fast, reliable and privacy focused. You can even pay for your services with Bitcoin! Apply coupon code 'CBPMEDIA' for 50% off initial purchase Bull Bitcoin - ⁠⁠https://mission.bullbitcoin.com/cbp⁠⁠ The CBP recommends Bull Bitcoin for all your BTC needs. There's never been a quicker, simpler, way to acquire Bitcoin. Use the link above for $20 bones, and take advantage of all Bull Bitcoin has to offer.#Solar #wind #NuclearEnergy #Bitcoin

Welcome back to CBP Quick Currents. Today we're going to be talking about Canada's path to becoming an energy superpower. Obviously a very popular topic on the campaign and with a few days left before we vote I thought what better subject to cover. But first we'll talk about the sponsors. EasyDNS is your friendly neighborhood registrar. The best place for you to host your content, your website, your business, you name it. And thanks to DomainShare, available for just a couple of extra dollars when you use EZDNS, you and your data are protected. Not to mention lots of virtual private server options. If you're a Bitcoiner, you can run a Bitcoin node, an Ostr relay, nodeless implementation, among other things, I'm sure. Head over to EZDNS.com, use the promo

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your Bitcoin you can use their bills platform to pay your mortgage, your cell phone bill, among other things. Don't forget to go and use our promo code CBP for 25% off all bull Bitcoin fees for life. That's pretty good. We like that. Let's get into this. With vast resources, cutting-edge innovation, and a strategic geopolitical position, Canada is poised to lead in both conventional and clean energy. But in the current climate see what I

did there what would it take to reach that goal let's get into it we'll start with the big picture Canada is already a major player in global energy according to the energy fact book from Canadian Center for Energy Information Canada is the world's fifth largest energy producer behind China, the US, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. It's a powerhouse in oil, natural gas, uranium, and hydroelectricity. Let's look at a few things quickly before we get into the details. Canada has the third largest proven oil reserves globally with 171 billion barrels mostly in Alberta's oil sands. It supplies over 4 million barrels

of crude oil daily to the US making it America's top foreign supplier. Natural gas, of course another topic that's hot on the campaign trail. The Montney and Duvernay basins in Alberta and British Columbia hold over a century's worth of production capacity, positioning Canada as a global LNG export leader, should we want to embrace LNG. Then there's uranium. Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin holds the world's highest grade uranium deposits. Canada is the second largest uranium producer globally, and projects like NextGen's Rook

1 could make it number one by 2030. Renewable is another hot topic. Canada is a global leader in hydroelectricity, producing 14% of the world's total and is expanding wind, solar, and geothermal as well. But being a super producer isn't the same as being a superpower. As energy expert Mike Cleland noted, true superpower status means leveraging resources to influence global events. So how do we get there? Let's look at three key pillars. Expanding our infrastructure,

leading a clean energy transition, hold your tomatoes, and navigating some of the geopolitical challenges associated with our move. First up, infrastructure. Canada's energy wealth is undeniable, but getting it to market has been a bottleneck. We'll look at the data here.

Since 2019, only one major project, Cedar LNG, has been approved under the Impact Assessment Act, or Bill C-69, as you may know it, which has been widely criticized for slowing investment. Meanwhile, the US has surged ahead, becoming the world's top LNG exporter, in just seven years, shipping 13 billion cubic feet

daily in 2024. Canada, zero LNG exports so far. But things are changing. The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion completed in 2024 boosts Canada's oil export capacity to Asia and beyond. The coastal gasoline pipeline feeding the LNG Canada facility in BC is set to start exports in 2025 with a capacity of 2.1 billion cubic feet per day. Nothing to turn your nose up at. To go further, experts like Heather Exner-Pierot argue Canada needs more pipelines like Prince Rupert gas transmission for gas and a revival of the Northern Gateway for oil to maximize its two existing export corridors. Liberal leader Mark Carney's recent proposal for a major federal project office

aims to cut project approval times from five years to two, streamlining processes with a quote, one project, one review approach. The catch? Regulatory reform. Bill C-69 remains a hurdle and critics argue it needs an overhaul to balance environmental concerns with economic growth. Without it, Canada risks missing the window to capitalize on global demand.

Now let's talk clean energy. Canada's path to superpower status isn't just about oil and gas. It's probably also about leading the global shift toward low carbon solutions. And some of the data is pretty compelling. On the nuclear front, Canada's uranium riches position it to fuel the global nuclear renaissance.

31 countries have pledged to triple nuclear capacity by 2050, driven by demand for clean baseload power and AI data centers. Next Gen Saskatchewan project alone could push Canada past Kazakhstan as the world's top uranium producer. On the critical minerals front, Canada has vast deposits of lithium, cobalt, and rare earths essential for batteries and renewable tech. The liberal plan includes a first and last mile fund to boost mineral exploration and reduce reliance on China, but it is just a plan for now and has yet to be proven. On the geothermal and hydrogen portfolio, companies like EVOR are pioneering advanced geothermal in Alberta, while Canada's hydrogen strategy aims to make it a global supplier

of clean fuel. Fusion energy is another frontier. A recent Arc Energy Ideas podcast highlighted breakthroughs that could bring grid-ready fusion by the mid-2030s, with Canada's research hubs like General Fusion playing a role. But here's the challenge. Scale and speed. Environmental groups argue nuclear projects are costly and slow, with new reactors often taking a decade to build. Canada needs to streamline approvals and invest heavily in R&D to stay ahead. Then there's navigating the geopolitical challenges. Energy superpowers don't just produce, they shape global markets and alliances. Canada's position is unique. It's a reliable supplier to the US, but it's also eyeing Europe and Asia these days for obvious reasons. The

data tells the story. Europe's energy crisis, sparked in part by Russia's 22 invasion, though not entirely by that invasion, highlighted the need for alternatives to Russian gas. Canada could fill the gap with LNG exports to Europe via projects like Saginae. Meanwhile, Asia's growing energy demand, especially in China and India, offers a massive market for Canadian LNG and uranium. But there's a catch. There's a lot of competition. The US is weaponizing its LNG exports these days, pressuring allies to buy American or face tariffs. China dominates critical minerals, producing 76% of global lithium ion batteries in 2022.

Canada needs to diversify trade. Carney is proposing a $5 billion trade diversification corridor, and that's going to aim to build ports and railways to reach new markets, but it's a tall task. Indigenous partnerships are also critical. Resource projects often impact Aboriginal lands, and in Canada that requires consultation and economic benefit to those tribes.

The Cedar LNG project, led by Haisla Nation, the Haisla Nation I should say, is a model for how collaboration can drive success, but it's hard to duplicate and it's proven difficult to scale. So what's standing in our way? Let's look at some more data. For one, public confidence.

A 2024 survey showed 88% of Canadians see oil and gas as vital to the economy, but regulatory delays and environmental debates erode trust. Then there's the investment climate. The WEF, a favorite on CBP, warns that hasty green policies could trigger economic volatility if they outpace infrastructure. That said, Canada needs stable, predictable regulations to attract the nearly $1.7 trillion

annually required for global emissions reductions. Again, lofty goals, great on paper, but they've proven difficult to execute not just for Canada but for many other Western First World nations. And carbon policy, of course, is another issue. Carney is pushing for voluntary carbon markets and that could offset costs for carbon capture projects, but uncertainty in carbon pricing risks deterring investors. We've seen this many times over the last few years. Large companies completely abandoning

all their environmental goals in favor of the bottom line. So what's the path forward? It's probably balance, honestly. Canada has to leverage its oil and gas wealth to fund the clean energy transition while streamlining regulations and building global partnerships. As Greg Abell of Enbridge said, it's not a pipe dream, it's

a slam dunk, but we have to be able to pull this off and execution, like I always say, proves difficult in real life. Canada has the resources, the talent, and opportunity to become an energy superpower, but it needs bold action. That means faster approvals, smarter investments, and a more global facing mindset. As the world races to secure energy and combat climate change, Canada's moment is now. What do you think? Are we ready for this? Does climate really drive all this policy or should we be worried about nuclear more than we're worried about wind and solar? These are big questions, but we're always looking for your comments and feedback.

So leave us something on YouTube, leave us something in the podcast feed, and until next time, take care.