DECISIONS THIS YEAR SHAPING CANADA'S ENERGY FUTURE

摘要

NORTHERN GATEWAY. KEYSTONE XL. FOREIGN INVESTMENT. MARKET ACCESS. LNG EXPORTS. These are some of the buzzwords attached to a host of developments expected in 2013 that will go a considerable distance in shaping Canada's long-term energy future. Some decisions may already have been made. Ottawa, for example, was expected to rule on China National Offshore Oil Corporation Limited's $15-billion bid for Nexen Inc. after this issue went to press. Rejection could smother the likelihood of additional foreign investment to fuel Canada's resource sector; acceptance—along with anticipated new rules covering foreign investment—could open the floodgates to other state-owned entities grabbing a share of Canada's oil and gas riches. But most of our choices are still to be made and will only be made after long, and sometimes rancorous, debate among stakeholders. Many decisions have market-access overtones to them, and it will be Canadian producers' ability to access a diverse range of markets—China for oil, Japan for natural gas—that will be key to the sustainability of the industry.