Suncor gives all-clear after incident at its Commerce City refinery in Colorado

By The Canadian Press on February 21, 2023.

CALGARY – Suncor Energy Inc. has given the all-clear after responding to a vapor leak at its Commerce City refinery in Colorado.

The Calgary-based energy company issued an alert for local residents Tuesday morning, in which it said those nearby may have heard an alarm or seen smoke coming from the refinery.

Later that morning, Suncor provided an update in which it said the incident was a vapor release that occurred while the company was performing maintenance activities on refinery equipment.

The company said the leak was quickly contained.

No-one was injured in the incident.

Suncor said data gathered from the Commerce City North Denver (CCND) Air Monitors has not indicated any acute public health risk.

Suncor has been challenged by a number of difficulties at its Commerce City refinery recently. The company shut down the refinery in December after it suffered equipment damage as a result of extreme weather, and began a repair and restart process earlier in February.

The company has previously said it expected to have the refinery back up and running by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

There was also a fire at the refinery in December that injured two workers.

Suncor owns and operates the Commerce City refinery, which processes 98,000 barrels of crude oil per day. It is the only facility of its kind in Colorado, and 95 per cent of the products produced there – which include gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and paving asphalt ““ are sold within the state.

The ongoing shutdown of the refinery has significantly disrupted gas and diesel markets in Colorado, with The Denver Post reporting that gasoline prices in the state have risen by more than $1 per gallon since Dec. 26.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SU)

14
-13