Fuel shortages in Alberta and how to fix them

The Edmonton area’s three large refineries (Imperial, Suncor and Shell) constitute the great majority of capacity in the province, and they rely on SCO for some three- quarters of their feedstock. [...] Page 1 Taken together, these capacity outages have led to a series of fuel shortages in the province, particularly for diesel and gasoline, which caused reduced efficiencies and higher costs for fuel users. [...] In this analysis, we offer recommendations for additional steps to improve Alberta’s security of fuel supply, and to minimize the prospect of future structural supply difficulties in the province. [...] AEDA’s recommendations for improving fuel supply security in Alberta address three principal topics: 1. Improving Operational Reliability in the Fuel Supply Chain, 2. Maintaining Adequate Operating Fuel Inventories, and 3. Encouraging New Sources of Refined Products Supply. [...] Because of Alberta’s climate, the complexity and long duration of (at least upgrader) maintenance turnarounds, and the short-term pressures these activities place on demand for skilled labour, it is essential to have effective coordination of major maintenance activities in the province.