Investment

Investment boom coming for energy sector as 2050 looms, experts say

Published

2 years ago

October 26, 2022

CALGARY — Canada’s energy sector will be the recipient of a wave of public and private investment dollars in the coming decade, experts say, as the push to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 gains momentum.

On Tuesday, the federal government through the Canada Infrastructure Bank announced an investment of almost $1 billion into Ontario Power Generation for the construction of the country’s first small modular nuclear reactor, which is being developed near the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station.

It was the kind of blockbuster announcement we can expect to see more of as the coming energy transition gathers steam, said Bruce Lourie, president of the Ivey Foundation, a private charitable foundation dedicated to supporting Canada’s transition to a net-zero future while ensuring the country’s long-term economic competitiveness.

“And every time there is an investment, every time there’s a new plant, there’s income from the investment, there’s jobs from the investment, there’s new economic activity, there’s trade,” Lourie said.

“We hear a lot about how it’s going to cost a lot to transition the energy system. Well, we’re going to benefit a lot too.”

According to a report from RBC Capital, a record $920 billion was invested specifically in the global energy transition space in 2021, and tens of trillions more will be invested in the years to come as investors focus on decarbonization and growth.

Investment dollars will be needed for everything from carbon capture and storage and other projects aimed at helping to “green” traditional high-emitting sectors like oil and gas extraction, as well as for renewables, nuclear, electrification, large-scale building retrofits and more.

The projects that ultimately win out, from an investor perspective, will be the ones that are reliable, affordable and capable of achieving social licence, said Jacquie Hoornweg, executive director of Ontario Tech University’s Brilliant Energy Institute.

“If we’re committed that we’re going to do this (get to net-zero), we really have no choice but to invest in energy,” Hoornweg said.

Over the past decade, Canada’s energy sector has struggled with a lack of investment due to a variety of factors including commodity price woes, pipeline access issues, and regulatory and environment concerns. As a result, major new capital projects in the sector have been few and far between.

But in recent months, the Canadian oil and gas sector has rolled out a flurry of announcements of proposed projects — from hydrogen plants to renewable diesel facilities to carbon capture and storage — aimed at lowering the industry’s emissions profile.

Most of these projects — as well as “clean” energy projects such as nuclear and hydro power — are capital-intensive and long-term, said Richard Norris, an expert in energy security and energy policy and a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

“You don’t build these things in less than five or 10 years,” Norris said, adding the energy sector is probably entering into a decade of booming investor interest — something that will be amplified as more discretionary sectors are hit by the rising cost of living and slowing consumer spending.

“A lot of the sectors that have seen enormous growth over the last 20 years, particularly the tech sector, are not going to fare very well when energy costs get high,” Norris said.

“I think we’re going to see a structural shift of investors out of the exciting tech stocks and into the much more boring energy sector, because that’s the area we’re going to be seeing returns over the next few years.”

In an interview last month, Evan Siddall — head of the Alberta Investment Management Corp., which on Monday announced a $150-million investment in Tidewater Renewables, which is focused on the development of renewable fuels — said that AIMCo wants to be a leader in financing the transition to a low-carbon economy.

“We see the potential for strong financial returns,” said Siddall in the interview. “We’re a long-term investor, so unlike public markets that tend to operate quarter to quarter with much shorter-term horizons, we can look to a transition into 2030 and see the path to earning a return on decarbonization.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2022.

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

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Investment

Tesla shares soar more than 14% as Trump win is seen boosting Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Tesla soared Wednesday as investors bet that the electric vehicle maker and its CEO Elon Musk will benefit from Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Tesla stands to make significant gains under a Trump administration with the threat of diminished subsidies for alternative energy and electric vehicles doing the most harm to smaller competitors. Trump’s plans for extensive tariffs on Chinese imports make it less likely that Chinese EVs will be sold in bulk in the U.S. anytime soon.

“Tesla has the scale and scope that is unmatched,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, in a note to investors. “This dynamic could give Musk and Tesla a clear competitive advantage in a non-EV subsidy environment, coupled by likely higher China tariffs that would continue to push away cheaper Chinese EV players.”

Tesla shares jumped 14.8% Wednesday while shares of rival electric vehicle makers tumbled. Nio, based in Shanghai, fell 5.3%. Shares of electric truck maker Rivian dropped 8.3% and Lucid Group fell 5.3%.

Tesla dominates sales of electric vehicles in the U.S, with 48.9% in market share through the middle of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Subsidies for clean energy are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. It included tax credits for manufacturing, along with tax credits for consumers of electric vehicles.

Musk was one of Trump’s biggest donors, spending at least $119 million mobilizing Trump’s supporters to back the Republican nominee. He also pledged to give away $1 million a day to voters signing a petition for his political action committee.

In some ways, it has been a rocky year for Tesla, with sales and profit declining through the first half of the year. Profit did rise 17.3% in the third quarter.

The U.S. opened an investigation into the company’s “Full Self-Driving” system after reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

And investors sent company shares tumbling last month after Tesla unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night, seeing not much progress at Tesla on autonomous vehicles while other companies have been making notable progress.

Tesla began selling the software, which is called “Full Self-Driving,” nine years ago. But there are doubts about its reliability.

The stock is now showing a 16.1% gain for the year after rising the past two days.

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Investment

S&P/TSX composite up more than 100 points, U.S. stock markets mixed

Published

3 weeks ago

October 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.

The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

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Economy

S&P/TSX up more than 200 points, U.S. markets also higher

Published

4 weeks ago

October 11, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.

The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

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