A refinery near Slave Lake, Alta., that started processing oil 22 years ago is facing an enforcement order for operating without regulatory approval.
A view of the Enerchem plant near Slave Lake, Alta. An enforcement order details how the refinery has operated for years without provincial approval.
Under the conditions set out in the order, the oil fractionation plant, 250 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, can continue operating while the owner, Calgary-based AltaGas, seeks approval from the province. It isn't clear how the infraction went undetected for years, or what environmental oversights were in place during the lapse.
He said no hearing was ever held to determine the overall impact of the operation, and that attempting to enforce oversight of environmental guidelines after the fact is ineffective. The refinery was built in 2001. When the $9-million project was announced, the plant was expected to be on stream by November of that year, producing 6,000 barrels of refined products per day.Government and company officials offer differing accounts of how approval for the refinery was overlooked, and for how long.
After AltaGas became the owner of the Slave Lake refinery in 2022, it informed the government that it had no provincial approval, according to Alberta Environment. "While the previous owner failed in this regard under EPEA, to the best of our knowledge, the company continued to comply with the various regulatory expectations for an oil fractionating facility under the Alberta Energy Regulator during this time."
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