Last Thursday, the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce hosted the CEO of Seven Generations Energy, Marty Proctor, for a presentation and roundtable discussion on the future of energy in Canada.
The event was hosted in partnership with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) as part of Energy Week, an initiative organized in partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Resources of the Future project to discuss global energy demands and Canada’s role in the future of energy.
Proctor was accompanied by Allie Blades, energy and corporate relations advisor at CAPP, and Katerina Anastasiadis, executive director of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce.
The event started with a luncheon at the Sandman Hotel and presentation by Proctor on “Liquefied natural gas (LNG): How Canada can make a difference.” A roundtable discussion at UFV followed, where students were invited to give their thoughts on the global need for energy and Canada’s future in the energy industry.
LNG is a natural gas that has been cooled down into a liquid state, which makes it take up a lower volume for storage or transportation. According to FortisBC, natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel and releases low emissions. It is used either by warming it up into natural gas or in a small number of cases as a fuel for transportation vehicles.
Currently the U.S. is Canada’s only customer for natural gas, due in part to the difficulties in transporting the raw product overseas. Natural gas requires liquefaction at a specific facility before it can be transported on specifically built tankers, otherwise it needs to be transported by pipeline.
Canada has had difficulties, according to Anastasiadis and Proctor, building pipelines and refining facilities. Political interference and the changes to approved project legislation with the changing of governments has affected Canada’s reliability and international business reputation, which in turn affects local jobs.
“That’s the flipside of the argument that doesn’t get out there as much,” said Anastasiadis. “All people see and hear on the news is a small percentage of First Nations who have not bought into it when in fact the majority of First Nations actually supports the projects and it brings them economic benefits as well.”
Statistics from Proctor’s presentation placed Canada as sixth-highest producer of crude oil and fifth-highest producer of natural gas worldwide. LNG production facilities, according to Proctor, could help Canada reach its emissions reduction targets and could help provide the world with access to this fuel source.
“What should happen is you’ve got to develop the energy sources that are best for minimizing environmental disturbance while also improving the quality of life for people that don’t have the same quality of life that we have,” Proctor said.
Proctor said that the demand for hydrocarbons is predicted to increase over the coming years, with much of the demand coming from developing nations that don’t yet have ready access to enough energy to meet their needs. Statistics from his presentation indicated that in countries with “lower living conditions,” such as Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sudan, around 100 million barrels of oil equivalent per day is needed to meet demands.
Proster said that if countries don’t get the fuel from Canada, they may go to other countries with less responsible production methods.
“I know we’ll do it better than anybody else,” Proster said. “So should we kill our own economy and then spite all those in these developing nations that need the hydrocarbons that we can produce even more responsibly?”
Locally, Proctor said, his company works for the shareholders and will supply a product in the most environmentally responsible way they can as long as the customer continues to demand it.
“Why [reduce greenhouse gas]? It’s just the right thing to do,” Proctor said. “We all love clean air; we love clean water. I want to be able to see the mountains, I want to be able to hang out on the ocean, I like the fisheries to be strong. I love the environment.”
