Burnaby refinery issues may cause jump in gas prices: expert

Issues at a Burnaby refinery that caused a strong smell to settle over Metro Vancouver this week could end up causing a spike in gas prices, according to one expert.

Roger McKnight, chief petroleum analyst at En-Pro International, says the events at the Parkland Refinery over the past week could affect supply in the area, leading to the price jump.

“The Burnaby refinery you refer to is the main source of gasoline for the Lower Mainland,” McKnight told CityNews Friday. “You may see prices jump by 5 cents tomorrow and prices will continue to rise until the problem is resolved.”

Parkland shut its refinery processing operations earlier this week after a strong odour, coming from its facility located on the Burrard Inlet, was detected in many areas across the entire region. The company says it had been trying to restart its operations, which had been paused due to extremely cold weather, when it encountered the issue that led to the shut down.

The issue prompted the City of Vancouver to issue a public safety advisory. As well, an air quality bulletin was issued for the northwest and northeast regions of Metro Vancouver, after officials say they received more than 100 odour complaints from residents of Vancouver and Burnaby.

The company says it intends to maintain a reliable supply of fuel to both the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, explaining that although some processing operations are paused, other activities — including shipping — are still operational.

“This enables refined fuels to be offloaded from ships and rail directly into the refinery, where they can be safely stored and reliably distributed to customers,” it said in a news release earlier this week.

Parkland says it expects the refinery to be back in normal operation in approximately four weeks.

With files from Pippa Norman.