TORONTO (Portal) – Cooler weather across Alberta on Monday helped firefighters battle widespread wildfires in Canada’s main oil-producing province, but the government said it could take months to bring all the blazes under control.
Alberta declared a state of emergency on Saturday in response to wildfires that have displaced nearly 30,000 people and prompted energy producers to shut down at least 185,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), about 2% of Canada’s production.
As of Monday afternoon, 98 wildfires were still active, with nearly 30 classified as out of control.
More than 700 firefighters have been deployed and Alberta has requested another 1,000 from other provinces, which are expected to arrive in the next week, officials said.
The provincial government also invited volunteers with firefighting skills To with the province to help fight the blaze. The government wanted to capitalize on the many people across the province with firefighting expertise, particularly in Indigenous communities, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said.
“Some of these fires could last for several months. So if we can use resources that are already here, the people who can help, we want to be open to that,” Smith said at a news conference.
ALBERTA APPLIES FOR FEDERAL AID
Alberta has formally asked the federal government for help, including military assistance, and Smith spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau earlier in the day.
“We have spoken extensively about the various ways the federal government can help, and we will work to ensure that we support Albertans across the province when needed,” Trudeau said in a televised address.
Canada is the fourth largest crude oil producer in the world and about 80% of its oil comes from Alberta.
The oil and gas shutdowns looked temporary and had no immediate impact on energy prices, said Mark Oberstoetter, head of upstream research for the Americas at consultancy Wood Mackenzie.
So far there have been no reports of significant damage to infrastructure and production is expected to resume once the wildfires are under control, BMO Capital Markets said in a statement.
Daily Canadian natural gas exports to the United States fell to 6.7 billion cubic feet on Sunday, the lowest since April 2021, according to data provider Refinitiv.
Pipeline company Enbridge Inc (ENB.TO) said its facilities were operating normally, but the company “expected some minor fluctuations in volume as some upstream customers may be affected,” according to a statement.
TC Energy (TRP.TO) announced that it has shut down two compressor stations on its NGTL gas pipeline system, which connects most of the natural gas produced in Western Canada to domestic and export markets.
“Other sections of the NGTL system and other pipeline systems continue to operate safely and we continue to monitor the situation closely,” TC said in a statement.
Alberta is also Canada’s largest cattle province. Some ranchers were taking cattle away from fires to rodeo arenas or other public places, but no cattle are known to have died from fire or smoke, said Karin Schmid, an official with the Alberta Beef Producers industry group.
Farmers in some areas are already struggling with drought, and the fires are likely to further stifle the growth of hay and grass for livestock feed, Schmid said. ($1 = 1.3319 Canadian Dollars)
Reporting by Denny Thomas; Edited by Andrew Heavens
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