The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 What, exactly, is happening with renewables in Alberta? https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-2026-renewables-explainer/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:33:58 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=156652 Three years after a government moratorium and new rules on renewable energy projects, a clearer picture is emerging of the impacts on a sector that was once surging in Alberta Drew Anderson Explainer Alberta electricity renewable energy Photo: Leah Hennel / The Narwhal Windmills are seen on Alberta's prairie landscape, with clouds above. Canada’s largest data centre rejected by Alberta regulator https://thenarwhal.ca/olds-data-centre-denied/ Fri, 06 Mar 2026 20:21:18 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=156271 Lack of public consultation means a project that would have consumed as much power as the city of Edmonton won’t go ahead — for now Drew Anderson and Gavin John News AI Alberta Residents look at a map showing a proposed data centre in Olds, Alberta. Five takeaways from Alberta’s bad-news budget https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-budget-2026/ Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:27:40 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=155563 As Alberta unveils its massive deficit — a taste of what’s to come for a province that’s long relied on oil and gas revenue — here are the highlights when it comes to the environment Drew Anderson News Alberta climate change oil and gas Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal A row of houses in Edmonton, Alta., with oil and gas infrastructure in the background. A $10-billion AI data centre races ahead in a rural Alberta town, population 9,679 https://thenarwhal.ca/olds-alberta-ai-data-centre/ Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=155044 The project, if built, would include the second-largest power plant in Alberta and consume as much electricity as the city of Edmonton Drew Anderson and Gavin John News On the ground AI Alberta What’s already happened with Alberta’s environment in 2026? https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-environment-roundup-2026/ Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154004 One month into the year and the Alberta government has been busy. From nuclear power to hunting, here’s what you need to know, environmentally speaking Drew Anderson Analysis Alberta Democracy oil and gas renewable energy Photo: Leah Hennel / The Narwhal Wheat fields with hay bails in the foreground, with wind turbines on a rise and mountains in the background. Is Alberta really running out of pipeline capacity? https://thenarwhal.ca/canada-pipeline-capacity/ Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153588 Does Alberta need a new oil pipeline? Is the Trans Mountain pipeline full? Questions are swirling — here’s what you need to know Drew Anderson Explainer Alberta oil and gas Photo: Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press Two oil tankers are docked at a terminal in Burnaby, B.C. Investment in renewables plunges in Alberta https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-renewable-energy-investment-collapse/ Tue, 27 Jan 2026 22:36:52 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153773 Corporate renewable energy investment is down 99% in Alberta, which once led the country in new renewable deals Drew Anderson News Alberta oil and gas renewable energy Photo: Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press Wind turbines and power transmission lines are seen near Pincher Creek, Alta., with mountains in the background. Alberta produces a lot of oil. So does Venezuela. How does it all fit together? https://thenarwhal.ca/canada-venezuela-oil-markets/ Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:26:38 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=152630 As the U.S. asserts control over Venezuelan oil, we dig into the potential consequences for Alberta, Canada and the world Drew Anderson Explainer Alberta oil and gas Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal An illustration of commodity prices on a screen, similar to what you'd see at a stock market. Grid alerts: what you need to know as electricity demand ramps up in Alberta https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-grid-alerts-explainer/ Tue, 23 Dec 2025 15:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=151646 High electricity use in cold weather can lead to grid alerts. But there’s a tangled web of factors at play Drew Anderson Explainer Alberta electricity oil and gas Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal An illustration of power lines with electricity streaking between them ‘We need clean water’: logging blockade brewing in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains https://thenarwhal.ca/kananaskis-logging-civil-disobedience/ Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=151291 In a cherished corner of Alberta’s Kananaskis Country, organizers set up a civil disobedience camp in response to a plan to log in a protected area Drew Anderson and Amber Bracken News On the ground Photo Essay Alberta Alberta coal mining forestry protected areas A group of people gathers in a circle on snowy ground at the edge of a forest. ‘Direct violation’: Alberta ignored its own rules by transferring wells to delinquent oil company, data suggests https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-energy-regulator-ignores-order/ Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=150625 Data shows an oil company owed 10 times the government’s limit on unpaid taxes when the Alberta Energy Regulator let it take over more wells and pipelines. Critics says it’s the tip of the iceberg Drew Anderson Investigation News Alberta oil and gas Illustration: Jarett Sitter / The Narwhal An illustration depicting a hand inking a pen in a river of oil next to a calculator and list of dollar figures.