A fuel shortage that is spreading across the B.C. Interior, has not reached the Shuswap.
The managers of the Salmon Arm Chevron and Armstrong Regional Co-op gas stations said definitely are not anticipating a shortage and have not been advised about any interruptions in deliveries.
The Chevron station in Sicamous is not expecting shortages either.
A Chevron station in Prince Rupert didn’t get its delivery on Wednesday evening, so it was selling Supreme Plus gas at regular prices – 130.9 cents a litre. The attendant said they ran out of fuel the day before. A nearby 7-Eleven was also out of regular gas.
A Petro-Canada station in Quesnel hung up signs notifying customers they were temporally out of fuel on Monday through until late Tuesday evening. The owner said he had diesel only for most of Tuesday.
READ MORE: Fill up your tanks! Gas prices rise across the North Coast
Dan McTeague, the senior petroleum analyst for Gasbuddy.com, said the shortage is seen across the interior of B.C. and Alberta, and is linked to longer than expected maintenance at a Suncor refinery in Edmonton. Suncor operates Petro-Canada.
“Much of the gas in [the] region is sent from there to the Petro-Canada terminal in Kamloops,” McTeague said.
“At last report, the company was trying to source fuel from the U.S.”
McTeague says the temporary pump closures are expected to last some time.
Said Suncor spokesperson Nicole Fisher in an email: “We understand that this is an inconvenience for our customers and we apologize. We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact, including sourcing additional supply.”
READ MORE: B.C. gas prices to hit highest levels in years: GasBuddy forecast
shannon.lough@thenorthernview.com
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