After hitting more speed bumps than a driver in a school zone, the completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline (TMP) expansion is near. 

Driving the news: After narrowly avoiding a crushing regulatory blow, the TMP expansion will begin filling up with crude oil for the first time next month and is expected to start transporting oil in early April. By year’s end, it’ll be running at full capacity.

Ah, the sea. It’s brought life and death to many a sailor, and it might now do the same to a renewable energy concept. 

Driving the news: For years, various companies have tried to prove that harnessing tidal power from the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia is a viable source of renewable energy. Most have failed, and now, the whole idea of creating energy via big salty waves is on the brink. 

New year, new power source: Alberta is now dabbling in nuclear power. 

What happened: In a deal that could produce Alberta’s first nuclear power reactor, power producer Capital Power is partnering with Ontario Power Generation to explore building small nuclear reactors (SMRs) in the western province, according to The Globe and Mail. 

Angola’s oil output might be just a drop in the barrel for OPEC — a group of leading oil-producing countries — but its departure could ripple into much bigger changes.

What happened: Angola has left OPEC, declaring it “gains nothing” from staying in the cartel. The country hasn’t been shy about publicly fighting cuts imposed by the group to its production quotas.

A northern Alberta town with a population of 577 people could be the site of a renewable energy breakthrough.

What happened: The town of Rainbow Lake will kick off a pilot project that could power the entire area with geothermal energy — where energy is created by turbines that are spun by heat extracted from underground water — by 2028, the first town in Canada to do so.

After almost a decade of delays, the world’s largest fusion reactor has finally achieved a key milestone.

What happened: Japan’s JT-60SA tokamak fusion reactor fired up plasma, an important early step on the long road to making a commercially-viable fusion power plant.

Confused about the current carbon tax drama? Strap in and get in the know.  

What happened: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there would be no more exemptions to the federal carbon pricing plan despite demand from upset provinces.  

Like a dinner guest who doesn't quite know when to leave, oil and gas might be sticking around a little longer than expected.

Driving the news: Exxon Mobil’s move to acquire Pioneer Natural Resources for US$59.5 billion is welcome news for the Canadian oil industry, according to experts. Per The Globe and Mail, it's a sign the company is confident that the global demand for oil will stay strong.

After years of flatlined growth in nuclear power, there’s growing interest and investment around the world in building new nuclear reactors. And as it turns out, Ontario is at the centre of that nuclear renaissance. 

The Peak team recently had the chance to see firsthand what that means through a tour of Ontario Power Generation’s nuclear facility in Pickering. Afterward, we sat down with Riley Found, a Senior Manager for New Nuclear Growth at OPG, to talk about why Ontario is at the forefront of building new nuclear.

Wind and solar are the fastest-growing sources of electricity in the world. 

Too fast, if you ask Alberta. 

What happened: Alberta has paused all approvals for new wind and solar power projects larger than one megawatt for the next six months to close the gaps in current development policies, some of which don’t reflect the realities of a power grid fuelled by renewables.