Alberta Energy Regulator reports runoff spill at Suncor’s Fort Hills oilsands site
By The Canadian Press on November 25, 2023.
CALGARY – The Alberta Energy Regulator says a spill at Suncor Energy’s Fort Hills oilsands site spanned more than a year, releasing close to 10,000 cubic metres of surface runoff from a containment pond. The regulator says on Oct. 9, the energy company reported an “unplanned release” of around 662 cubic metres from the pond adjacent to Fort Hills into the Athabasca River. But on Nov. 24, Suncor informed the regulator that the spill was likely much larger than originally reported and may have been happening since June 2022 due to a faulty valve. The regulator says it visited the site and found the valve is not currently leaking, adding it will be reviewing sampling data from June 2022 through to November 2023. It says Suncor has taken water quality samples of the pond, the results of which indicate the water spilled into the river was “within release criteria parameters for discharge.” It says the pond the water was released from “is not related to mining, extraction or tailings processes, and contains precipitation and snow melt water.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2023. Companies in this story: (TSX:SU) 9-8
