Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean gets mandate letter

Energy Minister Brian Jean has received his mandate letter from Premier Danielle Smith. File Photo supplied by The Canadian Press.

Alberta’s Premier has given local MLA Brian Jean a fresh list of responsibilities as Energy and Minerals Minister.

In a mandate letter addressed to the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA, Danielle Smith called on Jean to “continue to support further development of Alberta’s energy resources.”

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This includes developing an investment program similar to the Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program (APIP).

“Reviewing the findings of the Premier’s panel on Alberta Energy Futures and recommending which recommendations of the panel should be implemented to strengthen Alberta’s global competitiveness in the conventional, non-conventional and emerging energy sectors.”

Smith tasked the Energy Minister to coordinate with the Minister of Intergovernmental Relations, “defending Alberta’s energy interests against federal overreach and developing strategic alliances with other provinces to deal with energy-related issues.”

Jean will also coordinate with other provinces to explore and promote small and micro-modular reactor technologies.

“Developing and improving regulatory regimes to incentivize investment in hydrogen, ammonia, helium, lithium, liquefied natural gas, small modular reactor, geothermal and mineral development in our province, [and] coordinating with other provinces and the federal government to further explore and promote small and micro modular reactor technologies and pave the way for their use in oil sands operations and petrochemical production.”

In a statement, Jean said he’s honoured to serve as the first Energy Minister from Fort McMurray.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to set the trajectory for the future through continued innovation and technology. I look forward to working with Premier Danielle Smith, my caucus colleagues and our industry players to best serve the people of Alberta.”

Jean was preceded as Energy Minister by Sonya Savage, who decided not to run in the 2023 Spring Election.