The new Canada–Alberta energy agreement announced this week underscores exactly why AMCC has been focused on workforce alignment, industry collaboration, and predictable project delivery. As the demands on Canada’s future energy system grow, so does the need for a coordinated heavy industrial maintenance industry.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed the new Federal–Alberta Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Collaboration. The MOU outlines a coordinated approach to how Canada will produce, transport, and decarbonize energy in the years ahead.

Far more than a pipeline deal, the agreement sets out a broad framework touching every part of the energy industry: from large-scale carbon capture and storage projects to expanded nuclear power and small modular reactor development, to major industrial electrification, data-centre growth, strengthened transmission networks, and a modernized regulatory system designed to unlock investment.

Major projects identified in the MOU include:
• A proposed Alberta-to-Asia bitumen corridor with Indigenous co-ownership
• The large-scale Pathways carbon capture and storage network
• AB–BC–SK transmission interties
• New electrification and nuclear generation capacity
• AI and data-centre infrastructure

For AMCC member organizations – the contractors, trades, and maintenance teams who keep Canada’s industrial system running – this agreement represents a major shift in how governments intend to link economic growth, energy security, and emissions reduction. It points to the scale of work coming and reinforces the need for a coordinated, reliable, and highly skilled maintenance workforce.

These themes align directly with the findings of AMCC’s Advisory Panel’s discussion paper, which calls for structured collaboration across the entire maintenance ecosystem to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving energy economy. Read the paper here.

As details of the MOU begin to move into implementation, AMCC will continue to follow developments closely and engage with partners to ensure industry perspectives are part of the national conversation.