Factbox: Canada wildfire disrupts operations in oil sands place

Wildfire is worsening along highway 63 Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 3, 2016. Terry Reith/CBC News/Handout via REUTERS

The wildfire that raged unchecked on Wednesday in the metropolis of citadel McMurray within the heart of the Canadian oil sands region has disrupted oil corporation operations close by.

at the same time as oil sands facilities are not in the hearth‘s route, a couple of agencies have curbedactivities to permit workers and others to get to safety. a few nearby pipelines had been additionallyaffected. It become unclear what number of manufacturing had been impacted by means of the hearth. [nL2N1810N6]

Following is a listing of what oil producers and pipeline businesses have stated approximately close byoperations.

– Suncor power Inc, whose oil sands operations are closest to the town, said its main plant 25 km (sixteenmiles) to the north turned into safe. It has, however, conducted an orderly shutdown of its base plant operations – its foremost oilsands mining web site that has the ability to provide 350,000 barrels of oilaccording to day. prior to shutdown the web site turned into already working at reduced degreesbecause of a turnaround there.

because of the reduced availability of diluent inside the location, the employer said its thermal oilsandsbelongings, consisting of the Syncrude centers, are all operating at reduced fees.

– Royal Dutch Shell p.c chief monetary Officer Simon Henry informed reporters on a convention namethat one of the employer‘s oil sands mines changed into closed, and some other changed into inside thesystem of remaining down.

– Husky power said it had cut production at its sunrise oil sands challenge to 10,000 bpd from 30,000 bpd after a pipeline that components the mission with diluent became shut down.

– Connacher Oil and gas Ltd stated it has reduce manufacturing at its high-quality Divide operation, that’seighty km south of the city, to approximately four,000 barrels of bitumen in keeping with day.[nFWN1811EE]

– The Syncrude oil sands mission, owned by a consortium of corporations which includes Suncor, said itturned into reducing operations to assist aid personnel suffering from the hearth. Syncrude has 2,000 evacuees staying at its camp.

– Canadian natural resources Ltd said it became running to ensure that any affected CNRL employeesand their families could use its camps, that can hold about 800 humans.

It has supplied its aerodrome services to authorities officers for firefighting efforts and some of its firefighters and system are within the town supporting to combat the fires.

daily operations continue to be strong,” it said.

– CNOOC Ltd subsidiary Nexen power stated its operations were unaffected.

– Athabasca Oil Corp, which operates a thermal plant south of the town, where the hearth become located,stated it has not been stricken by the wildfire. The organization stated it has taken proactive measures to truck diluent to the web site as Inter Pipelines’ Polaris diluent line has been quickly shut-in.

– A Cenovus spokesman said its oil sands operations aren’t stricken by the fires, and output remainedconsistent.

– Imperial’s Kearl operation, positioned approximately 70 km (43 miles) north of fortress McMurray, isn’t always seeing any direct effectright now,” said a spokeswoman for the business enterprise, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil. “We preserve to reveal the state of affairs closely,” she stated.

– Statoil ASA stated it was “being vigilant” and the organization has plans in location. Its Leismer facility is ready a hundred and twenty km south of fortress McMurray.

– MEG energy said its operations were now not suffering from the fortress McMurray hearth. Its Christina Lake undertaking is 150 km south of the town.

PIPELINE companies:

– TransCanada Corp said it does now not assume the wildfire to have an effect on deliveries of naturalfuel. the nearest pipeline is about 18-20 km west of the contemporary wildfire.

It played down the ability for damage to device as its pipelines are designed to resist a number of naturalscenarios and excessivestrain herbal gasoline pipelines are buried underground. Valves also can be closed manually or from its fuel control middle, if needed.

– Enbridge Inc turned into starting shutdown methods, an Alberta government authentic said, with outelaborating similarly.

An Enbridge spokesman would now not verify, however stated mainlines have been not affected. they’re10 or extra kilometers far from the fire and beneath ground, he said.

– Inter Pipeline Ltd has close down its corridor pipeline gadget that serves Shell’s oil sands centers and in part close down its Polaris diluent pipeline.

Saheli