Pat Daniel is president and chief executive officer of Enbridge Inc. Read More

“Under Pat Daniel’s leadership, Enbridge has exceeded its target of reducing Canadian direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010. As of 2008, GHG emissions from our Canadian operations were actually 27 per cent below 1990 levels. This achievement is particularly impressive given that, in 2007, Enbridge transported 42 per cent more product than in 1990.

“With the success of the emissions reduction program, Enbridge is now revising its GHG reduction target for our Canadian operations, and developing a company-wide target that will include its U.S. assets.

“Under Pat’s leadership, Enbridge has also invested in four wind farms: two in Alberta, one is Saskatchewan, and one in Ontario. Together these wind farms have a combined capacity of more than 260 megawatts.

“In October 2008, Enbridge and FuelCell Energy Inc. launched the world’s first hybrid fuel cell power plant. The plant, which produces 2.2 megawatts of environmentally preferred, ultra-clean electricity, or enough power for approximately 1,700 residences, is also the first multi-megawatt commercial fuel cell to operate in Canada.”

Q: What is the single most pressing environmental issue in the energy business right now?
A: The single most pressing environmental issue facing the energy business today is the impact of CO2 emissions on global warming. This issue will have many solutions – alternative and renewable energy, carbon capture & storage, fuel efficiency, improved extraction and operating processes – and we are investing in each of these.

Q: What are some of the most significant advances you have participated in to address this issue?
A: We have launched an aggressive and diverse program to invest in alternative and emerging energy technologies. The technologies in which we have invested – which, to date, include wind power, fuel cells, waste heat recovery technologies, and carbon dioxide storage – and which could soon include solar power, geothermal energy, and carbon dioxide capture and transportation – could represent meaningful opportunities for our long-term growth. The program could also provide ways for North America’s energy industry to reduce its GHG emissions and environmental footprint.

The goal of our alternative and emerging technologies investment program is threefold: 1) to invest in technologies that could grow our business; 2) to help our customers find ways to decrease their carbon footprints; 3) and to live up to our obligation to deliver the cleanest energy possible, in the most environmentally and socially responsible way possible.

Following is a brief overview of the technologies included under the program:

Wind power – We have interests in four wind power projects in Canada which, together, have a combined capacity of more than 260 megawatts – enough electricity to meet the power requirements of about 100,000 homes, and equaling approximately 35 per cent of our total Canadian mainline power consumption.

Fuel cells – Three structures in the parking lot at our Enbridge Gas Distribution Toronto headquarters house an innovative fuel cell that, combined with pressure letdown turboexpanders, produces 2.2 megawatts of electricity – enough to service approximately 1,750 residences.

Waste heat recovery technologies – Through our interests in the Alliance Pipeline, we operate four five-megawatt electricity generating plants. These plants recover the exhaust heat from compressor stations that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere, and convert the heat into clean electricity. The plants are operated by NR Green, one of our Alliance Pipeline partners. We sell the power through 10-year purchase agreements to SaskPower, and are in the process of examining additional waste heat recovery opportunities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and elsewhere.

Carbon Dioxide Storage - In February 2008, we announced that we would lead a group of energy industry participants, under a project called the Alberta Saline Aquifer Project (ASAP), to explore the development of a large-scale commercial carbon dioxide sequestration operation. By capturing carbon dioxide before it is emitted into the atmosphere, transporting it by pipeline, and storing it safely, fossil fuels can continue to be used responsibly.

Q: What is your vision of the future of energy and your contribution to it?
A: We take pride in fulfilling what I believe to be our foremost corporate responsibility – the safe and reliable delivery of energy to people across North America. Energy is essential. It fuels industry; powers infrastructure; connects goods, people, and services to markets; and ensures basic services such as heating, lighting, cooking. The delivery of energy services and the deployment of energy-dependent technologies empowers people and communities to improve their own lives.

Here in North America, we take energy for granted. But for people in the developing world, access to energy could mean a dramatic difference in the quality, and in fact the length, of their lives. That’s why Enbridge is launching “Energy For Everyone” – a foundation intended to create significant positive change through delivery and deployment of affordable, reliable, sustainable energy services and technologies with a focus on the developing world.

As essential as hydrocarbons are today to meeting worldwide energy demand, we must develop new energy sources with lower CO2 emissions. Enbridge intends to be a leader in transitioning to that more sustainable energy future.

Q: What is your latest accomplishment in making Alberta energy cleaner?
A: We are leading an industry alliance of 38 organizations to identify suitable locations for the long-term storage of carbon dioxide, and to develop a carbon capture and sequestration project. Stakeholders include the energy companies that will eventually make use of the carbon dioxide storage technology, as well as the companies that are participating in the project.

We are also one of six participants in the Saskatchewan Aquistore project, which also involves injecting carbon dioxide into deep saline aquifers. Under the project, the participants will secure 500 tonnes per day of carbon dioxide from the Co-op Refinery near Regina and inject it into a nearby saline aquifer. This project may also eventually integrate with carbon dioxide sources from the Saskatchewan Power coal-fired facilities near Estevan, in the southern part of the province.

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