West Fraser Cutting Pulp Production At Alberta Mill, Changing Type Of Pulp Output

The Canadian Press – Canadian Press – Tue Apr 5, 5:43PM CDT

VANCOUVER — West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. says it will cut production capacity and jobs at an Alberta pulp mill and change the type of pulp output.

The Vancouver-based forest products company says it will permanently reduce capacity at its pulp mill in Hinton, Alta., by the end of the year.

One of Hinton Pulp’s two production lines will shut, and the remaining line will produce unbleached kraft pulp — used to make cardboard packaging, grocery bags, fibre-cement board and specialty products — rather than northern bleached softwood kraft pulp.

CEO Ray Ferris says changes to the mill, which has been in operation since 1956, are needed to simplify operations, reduce capital requirements and greenhouse gas emissions and better align with consumer expectations.

Staff levels will move to 270 from 345 with West Fraser expecting to mitigate the impact through attrition, retirements and employment opportunities at its other operations.

West Fraser says it will record a US$13-million impairment charge in the first quarter as a result of the writedown of decommissioned equipment.

The company says cutting one production line will result in an estimated 35 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, which is equivalent to taking about 19,900 cars off the road per year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2022.

Companies in this story: (TSX:WFG)

https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-business-michigan-lake-f977350c21788d2dcd62f7cef5b7c280

LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — Sprawled like a gigantic swimming pool atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan is an asphalt-and-clay pond holding enough water to produce electricity for 1.6 million households.

It’s part of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant, which uses simple technology: Water is piped from a lower reservoir — the lake, in this case — to an upper one, then released downhill through supersized turbines.

Supporters call these systems “the world’s largest batteries” because they hold vast amounts of potential energy for use when needed for the power grid.

The hydropower industry considers pumped storage the best answer to a question hovering over the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy to address climate change: where to get power when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.

“I wish we could build 10 more of these. I love ’em,” Eric Gustad, community affairs manager for Consumers Energy, said during a tour of the Ludington facility.

But the utility based in Jackson, Michigan, has no such plans. Environmental and logistical challenges and potential costs in the billions led Consumers to sell another would-be site near the lake years ago. It’s now upgrading the existing plant with co-owner DTE Energy.SCIENCEEnergy shift creates opening for ‘world’s largest batteries’Hollywood missing the drama in climate change, group saysNASA moon rocket faces more flight delays as repairs mountBirth of endangered Hawaiian monk seal caught on camera

Constructing a new one “doesn’t make financial sense,” Gustad said. “Unless we get some help from the state or federal government, I don’t see it happening any time soon.”

STUCK IN NEUTRAL

The company’s decision illustrates the challenges facing pumped storage in the U.S., where these systems account for about 93% of utility-scale energy in reserve. While analysts foresee soaring demand for power storage, the industry’s growth has lagged.

The nation has 43 pumped storage facilities with a combined capacity of 22 gigawatts, the output of that many nuclear plants. Yet just one small operation has been added since 1995 — and it’s unknown how many of more than 90 planned can overcome economic, regulatory and logistical barriers that force long delays.

Three projects have obtained licenses from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, but none are being built. Developers of a long-planned Oregon facility expect work to begin in 2023. A Montana company that got a license five years ago needs a utility to operate the plant and buy its storage capacity before construction starts.

By contrast, more than 60 are being built worldwide, mostly in Europe, India, China and Japan.

“The permitting process is crazy,” Malcolm Woolf, president of the National Hydropower Association, complained during a January hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, saying it involves too many agencies.

Although FERC permits new facilities and relicenses existing ones, other federal, state and tribal offices have roles, spokesperson Celeste Miller said. “Every project is unique. All have various case-specific issues,” she said.

The industry is lobbying for an investment tax credit similar to what solar and wind get. President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan includes the tax break but is stuck in Congress.

Pumped storage dates from the early 1930s. But most systems were built decades later to warehouse excess electricity from nuclear plants and release it when needed.

The storage facilities also serve as a safety net in sudden power interruptions. When a New England nuclear unit tripped offline in 2020, Woolf said, “the lights in Boston didn’t flicker” because two pumped storage stations provided backup power.

While nuclear, coal and natural gas plants can operate continuously, wind and solar can’t — so the market for reserve power likely will grow. National Renewable Energy Laboratory models show U.S. storage capacity may rise fivefold by 2050.

“We’re going to bring hundreds of gigawatts of clean energy onto the grid over the next few years and we need to be able to use that energy wherever and whenever it’s needed,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said last year.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Using computer mapping, Australian National University engineers identified more than 600,000 “potentially feasible” pumped storage sites worldwide — including 32,000 in the U.S. — that could store 100 times the energy needed to support a global renewable electricity network.

But the study didn’t examine whether sites would meet environmental or cultural protection standards or be commercially viable. Its website acknowledged, “Many or even most … may prove to be unsuitable.”

Environmentalists are cool toward pumped storage because reservoirs typically are formed by hydropower dams, which block fish pathways, damage water quality and emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Also, most plants continuously draw water from rivers.

But recent designs envision “closed-loop” systems that tap a surface or underground supply, then repeatedly cycle that water between reservoirs. Water would be added only to make up for evaporation or leaks.

The Hydropower Reform Coalition, representing conservation groups, says it might support such projects under “very limited circumstances.”

Yet some are drawing resistance, including the Goldendale Energy Storage Project in Washington state. It would pipe water between two 60-acre (24.3-hectare) reservoirs on opposite sides of a hill.

The facility could power nearly 500,000 homes for up to 12 hours, according to Rye Development, spearheading the project. It’s seeking FERC licensing and is scheduled to go online in 2028 but still needs a state water quality permit.

Environmental groups fear harm to wetlands and wildlife habitat, while tribes say the project would encroach on a sacred site.

“What are we willing to sacrifice to get this technology online?” said Bridget Moran, an associate director of American Rivers.

Developers say the project would include cleanup of the polluted lower reservoir area.

The U.S. Department of Energy has launched a web-based tool to help developers find the best locations.

A recent Michigan Technological University study identified hundreds of abandoned U.S. mines that could host pumped storage, with upper reservoirs at or near the surface and lower ones below ground.

They are close enough to transmission and distribution infrastructure and to solar and wind generating facilities, the report says.

“All these holes in the ground are ready to go,” said study co-leader Roman Sidortsov, an energy policy associate professor.

But while some decommissioned mines might be better for the environment, a project in New York’s Essex County stalled over water pollution concerns.

COMPETITIVE FUTURE

As the market for stored energy grows, new technologies are emerging.

Texas-based Quidnet Energy has developed a pumped storage offshoot that forces water underground, holds it amid rock layers and releases it to power turbines. The company announced a project in March with San Antonio’s municipal utility.

Energy Vault, a Swiss startup, devised a crane powered by renewable energy to lift and stack 35-ton bricks. When energy is needed, the bricks are lowered by cables that spin a generator.

For now, batteries are the leading competitor to pumped storage plants, which can generate power for eight to 16 hours. Lithium-ion batteries typically last up to four hours but longer-duration ones are in the works.

“Are we going to get to the point where an eight-hour battery is cheaper than a pumped storage plant? That’s the billion-dollar question,” said Paul Denholm, an analyst with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

A 2016 Energy Department report said the U.S. network has a potential for 36 gigawatts of new pumped storage capacity.

“We don’t think pumped storage is the be-all, end-all but it’s a vital part of our storage future,” said Cameron Schilling, vice president of markets for the hydropower association. “You can’t decarbonize the system without it.”https://interactives.ap.org/worlds-largest-batteries

___

April 20, 2022 AM

EQUITIES Wall Street futures steadied early Wednesday with Netflix shares under pressure after the streaming giant’s lasts subscriber numbers disappointed. Major European markets firmed as the session progressed. TSX futures were modestly lower despite a gains in crude prices.

Futures linked to the big U.S. indexes were all in the red in the early premarket period but recouped some losses as the North American open neared. A day earlier, all three finished up with the Nasdaq adding more than 2 per cent. The S&P/TSX Composite Index added 0.6 per cent with consumer discretionary sector, tech and industrial stocks among the day’s winners.

On Wednesday, Netflix stock will be in focus after weak subscriber numbers sent the shares into a tailspin after the close of trading. In the early premarket period, Netflix shares were down more than 25 per cent.

In the latest quarter, the company posted its first loss in worldwide subscribes in its history. The company’s customer base fell by 200,000 subscribers during the January-March period. Analysts were looking for a gain of 2.5 million subscribers.

“The biggest challenge going forward will not just be a more intensive landscape competition wise, but also the rising cost of living, as well as starting to hit critical mass in some of its key markets,” CMC Markets chief market analyst Michael Hewson said.

“This in turn will prompt a sharp reassessment of future subscriber growth estimates, across the sector, with Disney, Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime expected to come under similar scrutiny in the days ahead, although at least on their part at least they have other revenue streams to fall back on.”

Investors were also keeping a close eye on bond yields, with the yield on the U.S. 10-year note holding just below 3 per cent on Tuesday. Canadian bond yields tracked U.S. yields higher, with the five-year bond yield – which has a significant influence on fixed mortgage rates – hitting a fresh 11-year high of more than 2.7 per cent. By early Wednesday morning, the yield on the U.S. 10-year note was down at 2.872 per cent.

In this country, investors got results from Rogers Communications before the start of trading. The telecom company reported a 4-per-cent increase in fourth quarter revenue to $3.62-billion in the quarter ended March 31, compared with analysts’ average estimates of $3.63-billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Meanwhile, the Globe’s Alexandra Posadzki and Andrew Willis report that Rogers Communications Inc. has presented the federal government with a deal that would see rural internet provider Xplornet Communications Inc. acquire wireless carrier Freedom Mobile in an attempt to win approval for Rogers’s $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc., according to sources.

Canadian investors will also get a fresh reading on inflation Wednesday morning with the release of March consumer price index figures from Statistics Canada. Economists are expecting to see consumer prices spike above 6 per cent for the year, marking a three-decade high. The annual rate of inflation hit 5.7 per cent in February.

“Soaring gasoline prices are expected to account for almost a quarter of the increase — and half of the price rise from February as energy surged higher on the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” RBC chief currency strategist Adam Cole said.

On Wall Street, earnings continue to roll in with results due from Tesla Inc. after the close of trading.

Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.51 per cent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.28 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.51 per cent and 0.90 per cent, respectively.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.86 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.40 per cent.

Commodities

Crude prices recouped some of the previous session’s sharp losses in early going helped by continued supply concerns amid the Russia-Ukraine war and fresh U.S. figures showing a decline in weekly U.S. inventories.

The day range on Brent is US$106.96 to US$108.81. The range on West Texas Intermediate is US$102.53 to US$104.

Both bench marks fell more than 5 per cent on Tuesday after the International Monetary Fund cut its global growth outlook for the year.

“There remain plenty of upside risks to the oil price, even at these levels, which makes [Tuesday’s] large declines all the more interesting,” OANDA senior analyst Craig Erlam said.

“Protests in Libya have knocked out around half a million barrels per day of output which contributed to Monday’s rally. While this is only a temporary hit, it comes at a bad time as far as global supply is concerned.”

Prices drew some support early Wednesday from new data from the American Petroleum Institute showing that U.S. crude stocks fell by 4.5 million barrels last week. Analysts had been expecting to see an increase in inventories.

More official numbers are due later in the morning from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In other commodities, gold prices fell to a two-week low, hit by a strong U.S. dollar and rising Treasury yields.

Spot gold was down 0.4 per cent at US$1,941.40 per ounce by early Wednesday morning, after hitting its lowest since April 8. U.S. gold futures fell 0.7 per cent to US$1,944.80.

Currencies

The Canadian dollar was higher in early trading while its U.S. counterpart held near its best level in two years against a basket of global currencies.

The day range on the loonie is 79.21 US cents to 79.66 US cents.

Canadian investors get new inflation figures before the start of trading, which are expected to show the annual rate of inflation topped 6 per cent in March.

“Headline inflation is set to rise from 5.7 per cent to 6.1 per cent, with the core measures also set to increase due to second round effects,” Jay Zhao-Murray, FX market analyst with Monex Canada, said.

“A slight miss in the inflation data will spell trouble for CAD bulls, however, as markets will begin to price out expectations of a successive 50bp hike by the Bank of Canada in June.”

On world markets, the U.S. dollar index, which measures the currency against six major peers including the yen, early in the day matched Tuesday’s high at 101.03 – a level not seen since March 2020 – before easing to 100.76, down 0.3 per cent in the day, according to Reuters.

Japan’s yen, meanwhile, hit a two-decade low against the greenback. The U.S. dollar reached 129.43 yen for the first time since April 2002 in Asian trading before easing to last trade 0.21 per cent lower at 128.615, the news agency reported.

More company news

Lululemon Inc. says it aims to double its revenue to US$6.25-billion by 2026 under a new five-year growth plan. The Vancouver-based yoga-wear maker said it expects significant growth across key pillars including product innovation, guest experience, and market expansion.

Economic news

(8:30 a.m. ET) Canadian CPI for March.

(8:30 a.m. ET) Canada’s new housing price index for March.

(10 a.m. ET) U.S. existing home sales for March.

(2 p.m. ET) U.S. Beige Book released.

Also: G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meet in Washington.

Natural gas drops as much as 11%, pulls back from more than 13-year high

U.S. natural gas futures plunged more than 11% at the lows Tuesday, reversing Monday’s surge which saw the contract rally more than 10% at one point to break above $8 per million British thermal units and hit the highest level since September 2008.

Henry Hub prices declined 11.1% at the session low to trade at $6.95. However the contract made back some of those losses during afternoon trading, and ultimately settled 8.24% lower at $7.176.

From Monday’s high to Tuesday’s low the May contract shed 13.8%.

Natural gas prices have been on a tear since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February. The contract is coming off five straight weeks of gains and is up nearly 90% for the year.

Matt Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak, said Monday that natural gas looked ripe for a pullback from a technical perspective. Pointing to the relative strength index, a momentum indicator, Maley said the commodity was second-most overbought since 2003.

“Its RSI chart is now up to levels that have been followed by short-term pullbacks in the past,” he noted Thursday. “We are still bullish on natural gas (and natural gas-related stocks), so we’re not saying that investors should take profits right here. Instead, we [are] merely saying that investors should avoid chasing these assets over the near term.”

Prices surged Monday on forecasts for colder spring temperatures, fuel switching from coal to natural gas, as well as the U.S. sending record amounts of LNG to Europe.

What is a poison pill? How Twitter’s plan to block Elon Musk’s hostile takeover bid would work

Last week, Twitter announced a “poison pill” plan in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s offer to buy Twitter outright and take it private. But what exactly is a poison pill?

In this video, you’ll not only get a crash course in the latest round of “Elon Musk vs. Twitter”, you’ll find out exactly how the poison pill Twitter has implemented is designed to work. You’ll also learn the history of when the corporate poison pill was invented, and that during the period of 1997 to 2001 – the Dot Com era – for every company that successfully used a poison pill defence to deter a takeover, a full twenty companies ended up getting taken over.https://www.youtube.com/embed/82pr19jgov0?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https:%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com

While the name does indeed come from the use of poison pills by captured spies to avoid interrogation, a corporate poison pill is not designed to kill a company. It’s more formally known as a shareholder rights plan, and only gets triggered when a potential acquirer crosses a certain ownership threshold – 15 per cent in the case of Twitter.

Once triggered, it allows all the other shareholders – except the acquirer – to buy more shares at a deep discount. In Twitter’s TWTR-N -0.78%decrease plan, they will let everyone buy a newly created class of preferred shares: 1/1000th of a preferred share per common share they already own. But these new fractions of a share have the same voting power as a full common share.

And because we apparently can’t get enough of the 4/20 obsession (a meme associated with cannabis culture): the exercise price to buy 1/1000th of these new preferred shares will be $210 and their value will be set at twice that amount which is … $420.

If the poison pill gets triggered, it will have the effect of diluting the acquirer’s position and therefore the acquirer may think twice about simply buying more shares. What it also does is buy time and leverage.

The board can use the existence of a poison pill to drive a better deal with the acquirer. But in the end, it’s the shareholders who have the final say. They could be persuaded to vote against the board because Twitter’s share price hasn’t really done much since its IPO in 2013.

Maybe it is indeed time for new management. Whether that ends up happening, and whether or not it’s Mr. Musk at the helm, is still unknown.

Musk says Twitter board will be paid nothing if he acquires the company

Elon Musk said Monday that Twitter’s board of directors won’t be compensated for serving if he acquires the company.

“Board salary will be $0 if my bid succeeds, so that’s ~$3M/year saved right there,” Musk said in a tweet.

It’s not clear who would be appointed to serve the board of a Musk-owned Twitter. Currently, Twitter spends about $2.9 million in cash and stock awards to board members, according to a filing with the SEC. Executives do not receive additional compensation for their seats, so that does not include payments for CEO Parag Agrawal and former chief Jack Dorsey.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has been on a tear to acquire Twitter. After building up more than 9% in stock, Musk offered to buy Twitter in a deal valued at about $43 billion. In response, Twitter adopted a limited duration shareholder rights plan, often referred to as a “poison pill,” in an effort to fend off a potential hostile takeover. Musk may also be considering a potential tender offer to Twitter shareholders to take control of the company.

The outspoken executive has argued Twitter needs to be “transformed” into a private company so it can become a forum for free speech. He’s also said that Twitter’s board members’ interests “are simply not aligned with shareholders” and that the board “owns almost no shares” of the company.

Asia stocks decline as investors react to mixed Chinese economic data

• Shares in Asia slipped in Monday morning trade.
• China saw a faster-than-expected GDP growth in the first quarter, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed Monday, despite parts of the country being hit by Covid lockdowns in March.
• Markets in Australia and Hong Kong are closed on Monday for a holiday.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/18/asia-markets-investors-await-chinas-first-quarter-gdp.html

China’s first quarter GDP beats expectations to grow 4.8% year-on-year

BEIJING — China’s first quarter GDP grew faster than expected despite the impact of Covid lockdowns in parts of the country in March, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics Monday.

First quarter GDP rose by 4.8%, topping expectations of a 4.4% increase from a year ago.

Fixed asset investment for the first quarter rose by 9.3% from a year ago, topping expectations for 8.5% growth. Industrial production in March rose by 5%, beating the forecast for 4.5% growth.

However, retail sales in March fell by a more-than-expected 3.5% from a year earlier. Analysts polled by Reuters anticipated a 1.6% decline.

Beginning in March, the country has struggled to contain its worst Covid outbreak since the initial phase of the pandemic in 2020. Back then, lockdowns across more than half the country resulted in a 6.8% contraction in first quarter growth from a year earlier.

“We must be aware that with the domestic and international environment becoming increasingly complicated and uncertain, the economic development is facing significant difficulties and challenges,” the bureau said in a statement.

The urban unemployment rate ticked higher in March to 5.8%, up from 5.5% in February. The unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 remained far higher at 16%.

Retail sales grew by 3.3% in the first quarter from a year ago, but the apparel, autos and furniture subcategories still posted declines for the period.

Within retail sales, jewelry declined the most and was down by 17.9% in March from a year ago. It was followed by a 16.4% decline in catering and a 12.7% decline in clothing and shoes, the data showed.

“We must coordinate the efforts of Covid-19 prevention and control and economic and social development, make economic stability our top priority and pursue progress while ensuring stability, and put the task of ensuring stable growth in an even more prominent position,” the bureau said.

Although economic figures released for January and February beat expectations, figures for March have begun to reflect the impact of stay-home orders and travel restrictions around economic centers like the coastal metropolis of Shanghai.

Exports, a major driver of China’s growth, rose by a more-than-expected 14.7% in March, but imports unexpectedly fell, down by 0.1% from a year ago, according to data released last week.

APRIL 18, 2022 Oil prices rise; weak OPEC production in focus

Oil prices moved higher in early Asian trade, with weak crude production from OPEC supporting prices, Oanda market analyst Ed Moya said in a note. Although the IEA’s oil-reserve release is weighing on sentiment, Moya says this already looks priced in. Click on Link Below

Oil prices rise; weak OPEC production in focus | Fox Business

Wells Fargo’s quarterly profit tops expectations as lower costs blunt hit from weak mortgage lending

Wells Fargo & Co’s WFC-N +0.25%increase first-quarter profit dropped 21 per cent but beat Wall Street expectations on Thursday as top boss Charlie Scharf plans to keep a tight rein on costs cushioned a drop in mortgage lending.

Overall average loans grew 3 per cent in the quarter, largely helped by credit card and auto lending. Mortgage loans, however, fell 33 per cent from a year ago on lower originations as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to tame soaring inflation.

“Our internal indicators continue to point towards the strength of our customers’ financial position, but the Federal Reserve has made it clear that it will take actions necessary to reduce inflation and this will certainly reduce economic growth,” Chief Executive Charlie Scharf said.

“In addition, the war in Ukraine adds additional risk to the downside.”

Wells Fargo leans heavily on revenue from its consumer and corporate banking business, as it does not have a large capital markets division compared with Wall Street rivals Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley.

Non-interest expenses fell 1 per cent on lower personnel and divestitures, in line with Scharf’s plan to turn around the bank and save about $10-billion annually over the longer term.

Net interest income rose 5 per cent during the quarter helped by higher loan balances and a decrease in long-term debt, among others. Overall average loans grew to $898-billion in the past quarter, up from $873.4-billion a year earlier.

Consumer spending has been on the rise for months, as the United States emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and many make up for lost time travelling, shopping and dining out.

Top executives at some of the big U.S. banks had said early in the first quarter that consumer have healthy cash balances in their banks and are eager to spend and borrow.

The fourth-largest U.S. lender posted a profit of $3.67-billion, or 88 cents per share, for the three months ended March 31, compared with $4.64-billion, or $1.02 per share, a year earlier.