You can’t build Canada without Steel
Steel is a robust and versatile material that allows Canada’s energy sector to exist. That may seem hyperbolic, but without steel, we wouldn’t be able to move oil and gas across the country, or support our solar panels, or have our wind turbines spin to generate electricity for millions of Canadians.
As we seek to re-energize our energy sector — taking advantage of our natural resources while transitioning to a lower-carbon economy — steel is the material that will make our energy more accessible to Canadians as well as foreign markets. And as Canada develops sustainable energy initiatives and technologies, Canadian steel will be critical to building and maintaining solar panels and wind turbines.
To put it plainly, there is no Canadian energy economy without Canadian steel.
Where we use steel today: above and below ground
For the oil and gas industry, the reliability of high-grade, Canadian steel is essential for safely extracting and moving both oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from source, to storage, to end usage. No other material is dependable enough to be used in the long-distance transmission and distribution Line Pipe that crosses our country.
In fact, steel is so ubiquitous in the oil and gas industry that there is a specific series of products for the sector: Oil Country Tubular Goods. OCTG includes downhole drill-pipe, pipe casings, and tubing, all made of steel.
Beyond the oil and gas industry, steel connects the long blades to the central wind turbines that generate power, and serve as the structures that support our solar panels. Steel utility towers hold up our power lines, ensuring that Canadians have dependable access to electricity all throughout the year. Steel allows Canadians to fuel our cars and warm our houses in winter. It cannot be overstated how important steel is to everyday Canadians and our energy needs!
Steel is building our nation—now and in the future
The energy sector is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Carney’s Major Projects Office (MPO). These nation-building projects all rely on steel in different ways, showcasing the importance of a strong Canadian steel industry to our goals of building a stronger Canada.
Steel enables critical investments in our economy. LNG Canada’s export facility in Kitimat, B.C—which began exporting LNG in June—represented the “largest single private investment in Canada’s history”, according to a press release from the federal government.
A new Phase 2 facility—identified as a priority project by the MPO—will enable the export of 14 million tonnes of LNG each year. Steel is essential to the success of this project, with kilometers and kilometers of steel pipe needed to move the LNG from sources in British Columbia’s interior, to refineries, and to the new export facilities.
A future wind power project in Nova Scotia—also identified on Prime Minister Carney’s future list of nation-building projects—will be similarly dependent on steel. Steel makes up critical parts of the wind turbines, including the blade connectors and towers. Without steel, we cannot generate the sustainable electricity that Atlantic Canada needs and demands.
The future of carbon capture technology—which promises to drastically slash carbon emissions from Canada’s oil and gas industry—relies on steel piping to move captured carbon dioxide either below the ground, or to facilities that can repurpose it. The Pathways Plus project in Alberta—another project included in the MPO announcement—will aim to reduce carbon emissions by 22 megatonnes a year. This goal will only be accomplishable by using steel Line Pipe.
Looking ahead to an energy future with steel
Our energy sector is rapidly evolving. We are furthering investments into our natural resources while also expanding and developing renewable and sustainable energy projects that make lives better for Canadians. But the more that things change, the more things stay the same. No matter what direction our energy sector takes, it will need steel to get there.
To learn more about how steel builds Canada, visit dofasco.arcelormittal.com
