Alberta Leaders Point to Oil, Gas Growth Amid U.S. Trade Disputes

Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Provincial leaders in Alberta were preparing last week to make their economic case at a conference in Boston, as Canadian energy companies touted gains in expanding their natural gas trade outside North America.

Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Alberta travelled to Boston on Saturday to attend the five-day National Conference of State Legislators. The conference started one day after U.S. President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Canadian imports from 25% to 35%, claiming Canada isn't doing enough to stem the flow of illicit drugs across the border.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January, North American ties have soured considerably. Though Alberta's leaders are pressing for detente with their U.S. counterparts, federal Canadian leaders are pursuing trade arteries outside North America, given Trump's tariff threats.

Angela Pitt, a Conservative MLA from the Airdrie-East region west of Calgary, said in a statement Thursday it's imperative that Alberta is well-represented in regional discussions. "In my discussions with decision makers, I will stress the benefits of enhancing two-way trade with Alberta that builds bridges to prosperity."

Alberta's energy product exports to the U.S. accounted for USD$96 billion in trade last year, and the U.S. relies on its northern neighbor for about 60% of its crude oil imports. Alberta holds some of the richest deposits of crude oil in the world, and the U.S. refinery sector is tailored to run the heavier types of crude oil, such as that found in Canada.

Natural gas may hold more promise, however, as two new facilities--LNG Canada and Cedar LNG--facilitate Canada's reach to Asian economies from British Columbia. (By comparison, the only artery for Canadian crude oil exports out of North America is the Trans Mountain Pipeline, which saw its capacity was expanded to 880,000 barrels per day in 2024.)

On Friday, Fluor Corporation (Irving, Texas) said its joint venture with JGC Corporation of Japan was awarded a contract to update the front-end engineering and design (FEED) work for the proposed Phase 2 of the LNG Canada facility. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Oil & Gas Production Project Database can learn more from a detailed project report.

"The plant is the first-of-its-kind in Canada with an annual production capacity of up to 14 million tonnes of LNG," Fluor explained. "It positions Canada as a major supplier of low-carbon natural gas to global markets and will operate under a 40-year license helping to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by replacing coal with natural gas."

Canadian major Enbridge Incorporated (Calgary, Alberta) is getting in on the game as well. On Friday, the company announced plans to spend $216 million to expand the Aitken Creek gas storage facility in British Columbia. Subscribers can learn more about Aitken Creek in a detailed plant profile.

"In British Columbia, Aitken Creek is the only underground natural gas storage facility in the province, and we're proceeding with a 40 billion cubic foot expansion, which will provide enhanced flexibility for our LNG related customers," said Greg Ebel the president of Enbridge, in a statement.

Enbridge reported adjusted net earnings of USD$1.01 billion, up from USD$860 million from the same period last year.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).