EXAR 2905 - Alberta Energy Essentials

The Alberta Energy Essentials micro-credential provides a comprehensive, eight-session examination of Alberta’s energy landscape. The course introduces students to Alberta’s key energy industries and to related global markets while analyzing critical legal frameworks, including constitutional jurisdiction and Indigenous rights. Participants will evaluate oil and gas infrastructure, electricity generation and transmission, and renewable energy technologies. The program concludes by assessing the profound impact of energy on employment and public finance in Alberta, as well as Alberta’s savings via Heritage Fund and the treatment of energy production in the federal equalization program.

This course provides an accessible yet vital resource for professionals and students seeking to navigate the future of Alberta's energy economy.

This course is meant for:

• 🗸 Anybody looking to build their energy literacy. It is not necessarily a course for specialists, although individuals with experience in one or more areas of the energy industry may still find the content valuable.
• 🗸 Employees of government agencies, industry stakeholders, and individuals looking to gain knowledge and expertise in the functioning of energy markets in Alberta and Canada.
• 🗸 Individuals searching for employment in areas related to energy and seeking working knowledge of the energy sector’s regulatory, market, and policy foundations.
• 🗸 Individuals transitioning into the energy sector and/or providing crucial knowledge to navigate career choices.
• 🗸 Students (upskill) and professionals (both employed and unemployed) wanting to gain, upgrade, or diversify their energy-related market skills (reskill).

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• 🗸 Benefit from increased energy literacy and a greater understanding of some of the key aspects of Alberta’s and Canada’s economies.
• 🗸 Analyze the historical and contemporary role of energy production in the Albertan and Canadian economies.
• 🗸 Delineate the jurisdictional boundaries between federal and provincial governments regarding energy regulation and trade.
• 🗸 Explain the legal implications of Section 35 (Indigenous rights) and the "duty to consult" on energy project approvals.
• 🗸 Explain the basic elements of various policy mechanisms – carbon taxes, cap-and-trade systems, and emissions regulations – used to meet international climate commitments.
• 🗸 Differentiate between various oil and gas production methods (oil sands vs. conventional, mining vs SAGD).
• 🗸 Understand the basics of oil markets, including why Canadian oil is said to trade at a discount.
• 🗸 Identify the regulatory and economic hurdles facing midstream projects, including pipelines (TMX, Northern Gateway) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals.
• 🗸 Discuss the business case for downstream activities, such as upgrading and refining, versus raw resource export.
• 🗸 Describe the mechanics of Alberta’s unique "energy-only" electricity market and the regulatory rules governing transmission and retail.
• 🗸 Evaluate the integration of emerging technologies, including virtual power plants, industrial-scale renewables, data centers, and small modular nuclear reactors.
• 🗸 Correlate energy cycles (boom and bust) with labour market fluctuations and the resulting pressure on provincial social programs.
• 🗸 Explain the relationship between energy revenues and federal Equalization payments.

• 🗸This course is taught in a physical space, with some students attending in person and some online. Students can move between online and in-person instruction as they see fit.
• 🗸Discounted rates are available for government and non-profit organizations and U of A students. Eligible individuals are invited to contact econmcr@ualberta.ca for further information.
• 🗸A digital badge will be issued upon course completion. After the grade is posted, learners will receive an email from MyCreds with instructions on how to access their badge.