Alberta Index - ENVIRONMENT: Suncor says will comply with Alberta government order to reduce emissions

ENVIRONMENT: Suncor says will comply with Alberta government order to reduce emissions

(AlbertaIndex, December 20, Thursday) --- Suncor Energy said it is taking steps to comply with an environmental protection order issued this week by Alberta Environment. The order relates to emissions at Suncor's oil sands plant near Fort MCMurray that have exceeded air quality standards and which are resulting in increased odours from the operation.

The company said the cause of the odours is primarily being attributed to reliability issues with emission control equipment, as well as increased emissions from Suncor’s tailings ponds.

To correct the problem, Suncor is upgrading its emission control equipment and reducing discharges to the tailings ponds. The company has also introduced processing changes and is undertaking a more comprehensive air monitoring program.

The work to control emissions is expected to occur without impacting production.

The Alberta government said it issued Suncor an Environmental Protection Order in response to numerous occasions when ground level concentration (GLC) for H2S gas exceeded acceptable standards.

It said that on several occasions the measured values of H2S in the ambient air at stationary air monitoring stations downwind from the Suncor plant site exceeded the one-hour and 24-hour Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives for the gas.

The agency has ordered Suncor to submit monthly written progress reports to Alberta Environment detailing the steps taken to comply with the order.

“We take this situation very seriously and are committed to getting it resolved as quickly as possible. We’re focused on generating safe, reliable production and that includes resolving issues that contribute to odours,” said Kirk Bailey, Suncor’s executive vice president, oil sands.

Suncor Energy Inc is an integrated energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Its oil sands operations near Fort McMurray extract and upgrade oil sands and markets refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, while operations throughout western Canada produce natural gas.

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