Tech & Biz

Gas Shortages Predicted in Alberta and BC

by Jason Sanders | August 13, 2008 at 03:22 pm

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Petro-Canada's Edmonton oil refinery experienced an equipment failure earlier this week, halting fuel deliveries throughout Alberta and British Columbia. As a result, some stations are running out of gas -- or are already dry -- and losing thousands of dollars in sales.

A Petro-Canada fuel shortage in Alberta and B.C. is costing at least one Calgary station $20,000 in potential sales.

Kiren Mjnda, who manages a Petro-Canada station in Falconridge, said until she gets a fuel shipment next week, she's predicting a substantial loss in business.

Her gas station sign is listing the price at zero to let customers know their pumps are empty.

However, despite the lack of refineries in North America, they aren't building new ones anytime soon. Instead, according to Petro-Canada spokesman Jon Hamilton, they're transporting fuel from various other sources.

Fixing the problem at the refinery will take weeks, said Hamilton. In the meantime, Petro-Canada is relying on stocks of fuel trucked in from across Canada and overseas.