If you’ve noticed some Petro-Canada stations closed down all around the city, officials say that a supply crunch is to blame.
Suncor, the company that oversees Petro-Canada gas stations in the province says that one of the three refineries in Edmonton has been shut down for some routine maintenance.
That work is taking longer than expected and the company has come up short in ordering replacement supplies of gas from south of the border.
Dan McTeague, from online gasoline resource GasBuddy.com, says the situation has put the company into a position where they need to pick and choose which stations are supplied.
“They are literally going to have to ration gas until such time as the next shipment comes in, given that one of the three refineries in Edmonton which supplies pretty much all the gas in Alberta is down for an extended period of time undergoing repairs and maintenance.”
Drivers at stations in Calgary are taking the issue in stride and are just heading down to the next station on the road.
This isn’t the first time that the gas station has run into supply problems.
Back in October 2013, the company said it suffered a diesel shortage at many of its Petro-Pass commercial locations
Earlier that same year, the company also ran into pump problems for the very same maintenance issues.
As for the present problems, Suncor said there is no estimate on when the Edmonton refinery could be up and running again.
The issue could also end up in shortages in other provinces like Saskatchewan and Manitoba before much longer.
McTeague adds that he expects the price of gas to go up a bit overnight, not because of any shortage, but because an upswing in the costs retailers are paying for supplies out of Chicago.
“Nine or 10 cent increase. You’ve been warned.”
(With files from Brad MacLeod)
