North Atlantic will idle Come-by-Chance refinery

North Atlantic will idle its 115,000 b/d refinery in Come-by-Chance, Newfoundland, on concerns that continued operations would be unsafe, the company said.

The remote east Canadian facility would "transition to standby mode" at the refinery but continue to operate its retail business in the province, chief operations officer Jette Enevoldsen said.

Come-by-Chance supplies most of the province's transportation fuel and in 2016 was a major supplier of oil to Newfoundland and Labrador's power generation. It is also one of the few refineries worldwide outside of California to produce the US state's CARBOB specification gasoline.

Global petroleum demand has collapsed under efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The company would continue to supply the region with fuels, Enevoldsen said.

The refinery has processed offshore Canadian and US shale crudes, as well as some Iraqi sour. The company, owned by SilverRange Financial, planned to begin construction this year on a 26,000 b/d coker that would start up in 2022.

North Atlantic is owned by SilverRange Financial.

By Elliott Blackburn

source: Argus Media