At approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 20th a piping failure in a sour water stripper at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake Upgrader, caused a leak of Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) and Ammonia gases.
(Fort McMurray, Alberta) – At approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 20th a piping failure in a sour water stripper at Syncrude?s Mildred Lake Upgrader, caused a leak of Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) and Ammonia gases. Operational and emergency personnel responded immediately and effectively to isolate the leak.
All non-essential personnel in the area were evacuated as a precautionary measure. At 9:50 p.m. the all-clear signal was given and all workers were safe to report to their work areas.
Four individuals were transported to the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre for evaluation and all were released by midnight while 62 others were taken to the Syncrude Medical Centre for assessment and subsequently all cleared.
?The safety of our employees and contract personnel is always our primary concern. The quick response to this incident clearly demonstrates Syncrude?s continued efforts to protect the health and wellness of our employees, contractors and stakeholders,? stated Jim Carter, President and Chief Operating Officer.
The appropriate authorities and stakeholders were notified of the incident. Repairs to the unit are currently underway. There is no impact on production as a result of this incident.
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.
Trading Symbols for Public Syncrude Joint Venture Owners:
| Canadian Oil Sands Trust (via Canadian Oil Sands Limited and Canadian Oil Sands Limited Partnership) | COS.UN-TSX |
| ConocoPhillips Oilsands Partnership II (wholly owned by ConocoPhillips) | COP-NYSE |
| Imperial Oil Resources | IMO-TSX/AMEX |
| Murphy Oil Company Ltd. | MUR-NYSE |
| Nexen Inc. | NXY-TSX/NYSE |
| Petro-Canada | PCA-TSX/PCZ-NYSE |
