Burnaby’s Parkland refinery ramps up processing after Trans Mountain pipeline restart

Parkland Corp. says it is ramping up processing at its B.C. refinery following the restart of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Calgary-based Parkland paused processing operations at its Burnaby refinery from Nov. 22 to Dec. 10 due to a lack of crude oil supply from the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Trans Mountain’s chief operating officer says the pipeline will likely return to full capacity in late January at “the earliest” as work continues after flood fallout that will cost tens of millions of dollars.

The pipeline was shut down for three weeks as a precaution due to flooding and extreme weather in B.C. The 21-day shutdown marked the longest in the pipeline’s 68-year history, said Michael Davies, head of operations at the federally owned company.

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The Trans Mountain pipeline typically carries about 300,000 barrels of oil per day between Alberta and B.C.

“The pipe is still running at a lower pressure. We’re armouring riverbanks and re-bedding pipe where it was scoured out,” Davies said in a phone interview. “We may still have some further pipe repairs to do, more permanent repairs.

“It’s easily in the tens of millions, many tens of millions of dollars,” he added.

During its pause in operations, the Parkland refinery imported fuel from other locations and transported it by truck and barge to its retail and commercial customers.

The Burnaby refinery is a key supplier of gasoline to the Vancouver area.

On Nov. 14, the B.C. government lifted gasoline restrictions on the south coast following the supply chain disruptions.