City energy head moves on

By COLLIN GALLANT on May 6, 2023.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

The head of the city’s energy division is moving back to the private sector, the City of Medicine Hat announced on Friday afternoon.

Brad Maynes was also the senior lead on city-led carbon capture and hydrogen hub projects, and as managing director of the recently combined utilities and infrastructure division he oversaw one of the most varied portfolios at city hall.

On Friday, he said that the city’s utility division is in a strong position and that will continue without him.

“I’ve slept very well at night because of the directors and staff in the division, and I know that city always does the right thing,” he told the News.

“I’ve always had the support of council. The division does the right thing and we do it really, really well.”

He will remain with the city until June before moving on to a Calgary-based senior position “still working on the energy transition” with an unnamed private firm that has a Western Canadian portfolio.

He said the mix of responsibilities in Medicine Hat — everything from the power plant to potholes to developing industrial attraction strategy — has been enjoyable.

“There is some aspect of infrastructure involved (in the new position), but the move is driven by the great opportunity rather than a need to get back to raw energy (focus),” he said.

A petroleum geologist, Maynes joined the city in 2015 as the general manager of the natural gas and petroleum resources as the city was still bunkering down to weather historically low commodity prices. He became head of the division in 2019, and made the controversial decision to sell off half the well portfolio in 2019, then abandon most of the rest.

“The biggest challenge was really the financial situation at NGPR… had it gone on, it would have depleted all the city’s reserves over five or ten years,” the said, adding that decision to were difficult decisions.

“We had turn that around and I’m really proud of that… But we had 200 employees, and I felt every (layoff). I didn’t come to Medicine Hat to do that.”

The gas business that had lost $35 million annually when Maynes arrived posted a $5 million profit last year. He also said Friday that liabilities for well closures were forecast at about $450 million in 2015, but are less than $200 million today.

“Brad’s leadership and expertise has played a significant role in leading the city organization through a challenging era of energy transition,” said city manager Ann Mitchell. “I would like to offer my personal thanks to Brad and wish him the best in his future endeavours.”

Division chair Coun. Alison Van Dyke told the News that “the city has been fortunate to have had Brad’s leadership for eight years during some times that required difficult decisions.”

Former councillor Phil Turnbull was the energy division chair last term on council said “the city is poorer today with him leaving.”

“He came to the city at a tough time for our gas, oil and even electrical businesses at that point,” said Turnbull, noting the combination of Maynes in petroleum and Cal Lenz in power turned the division around.

“Together, they really put the utility back on a sound financial footing.”

Maynes also cited instituting new urban well procedures as a high point, along with the Unit 17 power plant expansion last year, just in time to feed a record-setting provincial power market.

“It’s secure base-load supply for years, and set us up for Clear Horizon (carbon capture project), said Maynes.

“Without it the city faces a much different future across the industrial complex. Having it at its current state, and expecting it to evolve, will really provide economic vitality into the coming decades.”

“If we had to start it today, I don’t know if we could considering how much (competition in) the space has expanded.”

“My replacement will likely be very focused on that,” he said.

The city release states that a hiring and transition plan will be announced in the coming weeks.