CO Boiler maintenance completed

(Fort McMurray, Alberta) – Syncrude is pleased to announce that this morning, Friday July 23rd at approx 5:30 am, the 8-1 CO (carbon monoxide) Boiler at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake site was restored to service after several days of maintenance. During the maintenance period, coker feed rates were reduced to minimize emissions.

“I want to assure our stakeholders that extensive air emission monitoring confirmed there were no off-site exceedances of Alberta Ambient Air Quality Guidelines, and we remained at all times within allowable occupational exposure levels on site,” said Jim Carter, Syncrude President and Chief Operating Officer.

“Through the hard work of many people, we were able to bring the CO Boiler back on-line earlier than anticipated and I want to thank all those involved for their efforts,” Mr. Carter said. “I want to reinforce that the diverter stack usage was necessary during on-line maintenance repairs to the 8-1 CO Boiler, and the site was regularly monitored to ensure that the stack plume did not pose any undue risk to those working in the area.”

“Managing the health and safety of our on-site workers and our local community has been a priority during Syncrude’s more than 25 years of operation,” he added. “We will continue to ensure that all necessary precautions are in place during both regular operations and maintenance periods. At no time was there a threat to the health of the people of the region. We are committed to working with all stakeholders in the region and welcome their input on our operations.”

Prior to starting maintenance on the 8-1 CO Boiler, Syncrude notified key regional stakeholders. Officials from Alberta Environment reviewed recovery plans and indicated they were satisfied with them. Ongoing environmental air monitoring continues in conjunction with the appropriate agencies, including the Wood Buffalo Environmental Authority, Alberta Environment and AEUB.

The Syncrude Project is a joint venture operated by Syncrude Canada Ltd. and owned by Canadian Oil Sands Limited, ConocoPhillips Oilsands Partnership II, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Nexen Inc., and Petro-Canada Oil and Gas.

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