Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) spokesperson Jay Averill told Rigzone that the group is monitoring the progress of the wildfires as they develop, but said rapidly changing conditions make it very difficult to quantify the overall impact of the industry.
“Some upstream and downstream facilities remain affected, some due to proximity to wildfires and others indirectly as a precautionary measure for worker safety and to comply with evacuation orders,” he said Averill at Rigzone last week.
“In areas where the threat has subsided, some companies have been able to safely restart operations and bring production back online. It is too early to assess estimated overall costs as the situation remains fluid,” Averill added .
The spokesperson said CAPP was continuing to closely monitor evolving conditions and emphasized that the association was working with the province of Alberta to provide support where possible to assist with the emergency response in course of government
“The industry’s top priority is the safety of our workers and thoughts are with the people and communities affected by the wildfires,” Averill said.
The latest wildfire update on the Alberta government site at the time of writing, which was posted May 15 at 5:00 p.m. local time, warned that the fire danger is extreme in northern Alberta “with warm, dry and windy conditions expected to persist over the next few days.”.
“A moderate to high rating is expected for the southern Rockies,” the update notes.
The latest update highlighted that Alberta has more than 2,500 wildfires, 165 helicopters, 25 fixed-wing aircraft and heavy equipment responding to wildfires in the province.
There are more than 1,600 Alberta Wildfire personnel deployed across the province, more than 600 wildfires have come from British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, the Yukon, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Oregon, Alaska, Washington, Montana and Parks Canada, and there are According to the update, 300 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are attending the operations.
Several Canadian energy companies have responded to the wildfiresincluding Canadian Natural Resources Limited, TC Energy, Cenovus Energy, Crescent Point Energy, Vermilion Energy, Pembina Pipeline Corporation and Pipestone Energy Corp.
More than 19,000 evacuated in Alberta
In a statement posted on Twitter on May 15, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that in Alberta, more than 19,000 people have evacuated their homes due to wildfires.
“My message to them, and the message I shared with the evacuees in Edmonton this morning, is this: We are here for you and we will make sure you can get the support you need,” Trudeau said in the statement. .
In Alberta, more than 19,000 people have evacuated their homes due to wildfires. My message to them, and the message I shared with the evacuees in Edmonton this morning, is this: We are here for you and we will make sure you can get the support you need. pic.twitter.com/5KtK2ERhhE
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 15, 2023
In a statement posted on her Twitter page the same day, Anita Anand, Member of Parliament for Oakville and Canada’s Minister of National Defence, said: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Albertans in the impact of the devastating wildfires.”
“We have deployed approximately 300 members of the Canadian Forces to assist Albertans, and they can help with firefighting support, airlift resources and engineering support,” Anand added in the statement, which was accompanied by a video showing firefighting efforts.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with Albertans in the face of the impacts of the devastating wildfires. We have deployed about 300 of them @CanadianForces members to help Albertans, and can help with fire support, airlift resources and engineering support. pic.twitter.com/BlJrfxKVSL
— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) May 15, 2023
To contact the author, please send an email andreas.exarcheas@rigzone.com
