Burnaby’s Parkland Fuels Transitioning to Green Refining
BBOT member Parkland Fuels shares news about their commitment to transitioning to green refining and their plan to invest more than $300 million in improvements over the next five years.
Petroleum products are, and for the foreseeable future will remain, a vital component of Canada’s transportation needs,particularly in the marine, aviation, rail and trucking sectors. However, for the good of our planet, we need to produce fuels with lower carbon intensity in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Both the provincial and federal governments have introduced requirements for low-carbon fuels. Parkland Burnaby Refinery is making investments to meet these objectives and is looking to introduce green refining into its business.
Co-processing with Renewable Feedstocks
Low-carbon government policies have led to Parkland’s decision to co-process renewable feedstocks; this will be an important part of the refinery’s future. “In order to accommodate green refining, we will need to transition certain elements of our facility to safely and reliably produce co-processed fuels,” said Facilities Planning Manager Chad Groves. Parkland is in the early stages of planning but anticipates investing more than $300 million in the following green refining improvements over the next five years:
• Remove out-of-service tanks and install new tanks to accommodate storage of renewable feedstocks and low carbon fuels/ Alter conversion and treating capabilities to co-process renewable feedstocks
• Alter conversion and treating capabilities to co-process renewable feedstocks
• Increase hydrogen production to enable treatment capability for renewable feedstocks
• Continue investments in emissions improvements, aligned with our Metro Vancouver air permit requirements Enable rail and wharf flexibility for renewables handling
• Enable rail and wharf flexibility for renewables handling
“These investments are planned in addition to the approximately $100 million we will invest each year to ensure safe and reliable base operations,” added Chad. All this work will require about 60 new employees plus additional contractors. “As our workforce grows to meet our green refining goals, we’ve made the conscious decision to acquire new offsite office space in Brentwood for about 300 refinery and Vancouver-based Parkland staff to help mitigate additional traffic in the area,” said Chad.
Transitioning into the green refining business will take time, and Parkland has partnered with a number of B.C.-based third parties to source and develop renewable feedstocks. Additionally, the University of British Columbia, the Business Council of British Columbia and the provincial government—in particular the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources—each have low-carbon initiatives that support and inform our efforts. Community Remains Top of Mind Minimizing impacts on the community will remain a priority during regular operations and throughout all phases of Parkland’s green refining investments.“We are committed to keeping the community informed of our plans, listening to our neighbours’ feedback and incorporating it where practical,” said Chad. “We are excited for what the future holds and we are looking forward to helping shape the future of fuels, right here in Burnaby.”
Community Remains Top of Mind
Minimizing impacts on the community will remain a priority during regular operations and throughout all phases of Parkland’s green refining investments. “We are committed to keeping the community informed of our plans, listening to our neighbours’ feedback and incorporating it where practical,” said Chad. “We are excited for what the future holds and we are looking forward to helping shape the future of fuels, right here in Burnaby.”
Read the full story here.
