“We regret any concern this incident caused our employees and neighbours,” said Upgrader General Manager, Peter St. George. “We appreciated the quick and professional response by our employees and the Strathcona County fire department.”
The Shell Scotford Chemical Plant and the Upgrader expansion construction site resume normal operations today. The Scotford Refinery remains in operation at reduced rates. Affected customers have been notified. Assessment and repair planning at the Upgrader is underway.
Monday’s incident began at about 4 pm when a leak occurred in one of two residue hydroconversion units at the Upgrader. Vapour ignited and the fire was later extinguished by emergency responders. There were no injuries. Odours were reported, however no offsite emissions above ambient air quality guidelines were measured. Regulatory authorities monitored Shell’s response throughout the incident.
An incident investigation has begun. Shell continues to work with the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board and other regulatory agencies.
The Scotford Upgrader is part of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project, a joint venture among Shell Canada Energy (60%), Marathon Oil Sands L.P. (20%) and Chevron Canada Limited (20%).
For more information, please contact:
Randy Provencal
Senior Communications Representative
Shell Scotford Complex
(780) 992-3027
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