Esso pumps running on empty in Western Canada

[Newsjock]

Source: CBC News

About 500 Esso stations across Western Canada could run out of gas and diesel in the next few weeks in light of reduced production at Imperial Oil's refinery near Edmonton.

... Gordon Wong, spokesman for Calgary-based Imperial Oil, said technical problems in the fuel processing unit of its refinery in Strathcona County, east of Edmonton, has led to the plant running at reduced rates.

He confirmed the cut in production could be felt at Esso retail outlets in Western Canada, from British Columbia to Manitoba.

Some filling stations in Calgary and Red Deer, Alta., had signs and yellow tape up around empty diesel and gas pumps.

Wong said Imperial has started rationing supplies with priority given to more isolated locations.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/03/06/esso-shortage.html

[aquart]

1. Good grief. Here I thought rationing threats were exaggerated.

I do apologize.

[bemildred]

2. No worries, we'll just send our good friends up in Canada some of our surplus gasoline. nt

[ovidsen]

3. Esso??

Jeez, kinda off topic, but back in the 60s (and before) what was then Standard Oil operated Esso gasoline stations in the US east of the Mississippi, but the same conglomerate dubbed them Exxon on the West. Then, sometime in the 1970s, Esso (and it's mascot tiger) disappeared and everything that was Esso became Exxon.

I thought the Esso name was ancient history. I thought wrong. And I have no idea who operates the chain in Canada, or even if it has anything to do with what used to be Standard Oil.

But I can't imagine oil exporting Canada running out of fuel anywhere.

No response necessary. Just the musings of an old Democratic fossil. :P

[Doctor Cynic]

6. I'm responding anyway.

Esso is a brand used in many countries all over the world. It's owned by what is now Exxon Mobil, which is the main shareholder of Imperial Oil in Canada, which essentially operates as Exxon's Canadian partner.

As for your second question, the problem is that NAFTA requires Canada to export a set percentage of oil and gas to the USA. Why? Because back when it was first proposed, Canada demanded an independent arbitration panel to resolve disagreements, and this didn't fly with the nutcases in Washington. Access to energy was used as a bait in order to get US Congress to agree.

This means that Atlantic Canada has to import fuel from places like Venezuela even when the country is a huge exporter.

[Robbien]

7. Which is why all the Canadian hoopla over changing NAFTA is confusing.

Canada has gotten the short end of the stick in most of its dealings with the US under NAFTA, not the least of which are the timber and oil trades.

[ovidsen]

8. Thanks for the info

Just more evidence that NAFTA's a misnomered acronym. Forced to import oil when you're a net exporter? What's so "free trade" about that?

edit for typo.

[TrogL]

4. I just filled up

[TrogL]

9. I've been driving around all day

No closed pumps yet.

[Newsjock]

5. Second Alberta refinery reduces output

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=205ef867-4e50-42d7-8551-57028fbeb2c8&k=12102

CALGARY - Gasoline and diesel supplies in Western Canada will get even tighter as a second of three Alberta refineries reported reduced output Thursday.

The 98,000 barrel-a-day Scotford refinery had to cut back production due to unplanned maintenance at the adjacent Scotford upgrader, operator Royal Dutch Shell PLC told the Herald.

Spokeswoman Jana Masters could not comment on the cause of the outage or the amount of the reduction.
The outage exaserbates supply constraints squeezing retail gas stations hit by an unplanned outage at Imperial Oil's 187,000 barrel-per-day Strathcona refinery.