A wildfire in the Canadian province of Alberta prompted the temporary shutdown of some oil and gas production and forced residents of a small town to evacuate.
The blaze, which Alberta Wildfire said is approximately 1,600 hectares in size, is burning out of control about 7 km north of the town of Swan Hills in the northern part of the province.
Oil and gas producer Aspenleaf Energy, which has wells in the area, evacuated its local field staff and temporarily halted operations, shutting in approximately 4,000 boe/d of production.
CEO Bryan Gould said in an interview the fire was about 10 km from Aspenleaf's facilities Monday evening, adding the company's decision to shut in production was made out of an abundance of caution.
Canadian Natural Resources , Canada's largest oil and gas producer, also has operations in the Swan Hills area. The company has not responded to a request for comment.
The approximately 1,200 residents of the town of Swan Hills were ordered to evacuate on Monday evening. Evacuees were directed to a reception center in the nearby town of Whitecourt, approximately a 50-minute drive to the south.
Another smaller wildfire, approximately 390 hectares in size, is burning out of control in Yellowhead County, in western Alberta.
The blazes are Alberta's first significant fires this spring, following a 2024 wildfire season that was one of the most destructive on record, largely due to the devastation caused by a blaze that ripped through Jasper, a tourist town in the Canadian Rockies.
Wildfires have hit oil and gas production in Canada several times in the past decade. Last year, Suncor Energy, Canada's second-largest oil sands producer, temporarily curtailed production at its Firebag complex due to a nearby blaze.
In May of 2023, companies shut in at least 319,000 boe/d, or 3.7% of Canada's total production, as more than 100 wildfires burned in Alberta.
In 2016, thousands of oil sands workers were evacuated as a monster wildfire destroyed part of the community of Fort McMurray, forcing companies to reduce their oil output by 1 MMbbl/d.
Recommended Reading
US Cancels $3.7B in Biden-Era Clean Energy Awards, Including Exxon’s
2025-05-30 - The canceled awards, largely for CCS and decarbonization initiatives, include a $332 million award to Exxon Mobil Corp.
Financiers: ESG May be ‘Woke Capitalism’ But Keep an Eye on It
2025-06-09 - Capital providers including EnCap Flatrock Midstream worry the cost of inaction is great while Quantum Capital Group warns that the next Democratic president could be “worse than the last.”
Oxy’s Hollub: EOR Essential to Energy Security as Oil Supply Peaks
2025-04-25 - EOR will be essential in U.S. energy security as reservoirs currently supplying U.S. oil will peak in the coming few years, said Vicki Hollub, Oxy president and CEO.
NextEra Energy Expects to See Minimum Tariff Exposure
2025-04-23 - NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum put the renewable energy unit’s exposure to tariffs at less than $150 million through 2028 on more than $75 billion in expected capex.
Big Bill Not Beautiful for Clean Energy Passes US House
2025-05-22 - The legislation passed the House early May 22 with a 215-214 mostly party line vote and essentially guts the Inflation Reduction Act.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.