DENVER, CO, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. announced today that a planned maintenance shutdown at its Commerce City, Colorado refinery will begin February 3. The maintenance work is expected to improve operational and environmental performance, and is a key step to enabling the refinery to process more crude oil from the company's Canadian oil sands operation.
The refinery's west plant and sour crude unit (asphalt unit) will shut down and start up in a staggered sequence. Some units are expected to be down for up to 42 days. During the shutdown, the refinery's east plant will continue to refine about 34,000 barrels of oil per day.
During the maintenance shutdown, necessary connections will be made for commissioning and start-up of a project that is expected to allow Suncor to process 10,000 to 15,000 barrels per day of oil sands sour crude, increase the refinery's ability to process a broader slate of bitumen-based crude oil, and meet environmental regulations that limit sulfur levels in on-road diesel fuel. This work will signal the end of a $390 million project that began August 1, 2003 and at peak, created employment for approximately 1,500 construction workers.
Suncor's goals are to complete the maintenance shutdown safely, on schedule, within budget and with environmental care. The Commerce City refinery maintenance shutdown is a major project that involves a $40 million investment, approximately 750 contract workers and more than 18 months of planning. Suncor expects an increase in activity in and around the refinery for approximately eight weeks.
During shutdown and start-up of facilities, there is potential for an increase in flaring and odors. Government regulators with the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Colorado have been informed of the maintenance shutdown.
This news release contains forward-looking statements. The forward- looking statements may be identified by words like "planned", "goals", "expected" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on current conditions and assumptions and are not a guarantee of future events. Actual events could differ materially as a result of changes to Suncor's plans and the impact of certain events, risks and uncertainties.
Suncor Energy Inc. is an integrated energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Suncor's oil sands business, located near Fort McMurray, Alberta, extracts and upgrades oil sands and markets refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, while operations throughout western Canada produce natural gas. Suncor operates a refining and marketing business in Ontario with retail distribution under the Sunoco brand. U.S.A. downstream assets include pipeline and refining operations in Colorado and Wyoming and retail sales in the Denver area under the Phillips 66 brand. Suncor's common shares (symbol: SU) are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.
Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. is an authorized licensee of the Phillips 66 brand and marks in the state of Colorado. Sunoco in Canada is separate and unrelated to Sunoco in the United States, which is owned by Sunoco, Inc. of Philadelphia.
