Premier Danielle Smith was in the U.K. Thursday, promoting Alberta energy at Chatham House during her 10-day stint in Europe. The trip involved stops in Germany and Sweden as well as the U.K., where Smith met with business leaders, government officials and investors. The fireside discussion at the London-based think tank began with concerns of energy security amid the war in Iran. “Concerns about security of supply aren’t new, but recent global disruptions have reinforced a single point that where energy comes from matters more than ever,” said Smith during her opening remarks. “Alberta is the most prominent, promising and practical solution.” Smith went on to say that the province is the fourth largest oil reserve in the world and that Canada is now in the top 10 natural gas reserves worldwide. “For Canada, the missing ingredients, clearly, is not resources, it’s the infrastructure to extract and to move commodities to markets,” said the premier. “Alberta is keen to build new pipelines, west, east, north and south, without any delay and without hesitation.” Late last year, Alberta and the Government of Canada signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining conditions that need to be met for a new pipeline to the west coast. However, talks on a carbon pricing equivalency agreement have surpassed the April 1 deadline. Reuters sources reported that an agreement is expected to be reached within the next two weeks. Before July 1, both parties are required to agree on how Alberta can submit its pipeline application to the major projects office. Smith called the MOU a “huge win for the world.” “With more outlets for our energy, the result will be less dependence on dictators and less choke points for oil and gas,” she said. According to the premier’s itinerary, Smith is to attend a roundtable with the U.K. defence and aerospace industry as well as another hosted by Travel Alberta before returning May 2. The province says the U.K is a key market for Alberta exports with $192.4 million in 2025. U.K. visitors also spent about $356 million in Alberta last year.
