Six Alberta Wildfires Threaten 500,000 Barrels-a-Day of Oil Output as Largest Blaze Reaches 1,000 Hectares
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · May 31
Six Alberta Wildfires Threaten 500,000 Barrels-a-Day of Oil Output as Largest Blaze Reaches 1,000 Hectares
2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · May 31
Six out-of-control wildfires are burning in Alberta’s Lac la Biche region, coming within 20 kilometers of oil facilities tied to about 500,000 barrels a day of crude production.
The biggest fire has reached 1,000 hectares, according to Alberta Wildfire, in an area that hosts many of the largest in-situ oil sands well sites.
Cenovus Energy and Canadian Natural Resources are among the producers with facilities in the threatened zone, putting a significant slice of Canada’s oil sands output at risk if conditions worsen.
The flare-up underscores how wildfire season can quickly threaten energy infrastructure in Alberta’s oil-producing heartland even before any shutdowns are announced.
As climate-fueled fires threaten the oil sands, is Canada's energy security going up in smoke?
A decade after the $10 billion 'Beast' fire, is Canada's oil industry facing another catastrophic shutdown?