Page 4 - NorthAmOil Week 17 2021

NorthAmOil COMMENTARY NorthAmOil

COVID-19 complicates

oil sands recovery

A new outbreak of COVID-19 among workers at Canada’s

oil sands is hampering the region’s recovery efforts in

the middle of the maintenance season

ALBERTA ALBERTA’S oil sands region – which has been Oil sands impact
hit by major challenges in recent years – is now Oil sands operators have not reported any
WHAT: seeing its recovery efforts being hampered by impact to production thus far, but the out-
Alberta’s oil sands region new outbreaks of the coronavirus (COVID- breaks are affecting seasonal maintenance
is struggling with new 19). This is playing out against the backdrop of work during what is traditionally a busy time
outbreaks of COVID-19. a broader resurgence of infections across Can- for the industry.
ada, with the situation in Alberta exacerbated Suncor Energy was reported to have post-
WHY: by thousands of oilfield workers flying in for the poned the shutdown for maintenance of the U2
Canada more broadly maintenance season. upgrader at its Base Plant from May to June as a
is dealing with a As of April 28, 12 oil sands production sites result of the outbreaks. Two other Suncor sites
resurgence of the virus, had been listed for outbreaks of the virus, with have also been linked to outbreaks.
and thousands of oilfield over 2,000 cases linked to the facilities and 752 Suncor has implemented protocols to keep
workers are travelling of these considered active, according to data workers safe and is offering rapid antigen
to Alberta for the from Alberta Health. Indeed, the Regional screening to quickly detect asymptomatic indi-
maintenance season. Municipality of Wood Buffalo in north-east- viduals, keeping transmission rates “very low”,
ern Alberta declared a state of local emergency the company told Bloomberg this week.
WHAT NEXT: owing to rising COVID-19 case numbers ear- Suncor is the majority owner in Syncrude
So far, no impact to oil lier this week. The municipality encompasses Canada, which is also battling an outbreak of
sands production has the town of Fort McMurray and is the centre of COVID-19. A Syncrude spokesman, Will Gib-
been reported, but the Alberta’s oil sands production. The region now son, told Bloomberg that the project had begun
outbreaks are affecting has the highest number of cases per capita in maintenance involving 2,000 people from the
maintenance work. the province, and the municipality said it was local communities and around Alberta on
contending with at least 17 separate outbreaks, its 350,000 barrel per day (bpd) upgrader last
including at oil sands camps. month but had subsequently stretched the work

Canadian Natural
Resources Ltd’s Horizon
upgrader is one of the
facilities affected by
outbreaks.

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 17 29•April•2021