WATCH ABOVE: Edmonton drivers may have noticed a number of Shell gas stations are closed. As Fletcher Kent reports, one analyst says this could be a headache for all drivers.
EDMONTON – A lack of gas at several Shell gas stations in Edmonton has caused frustration among many drivers.
“I pulled in and noticed that all the pumps are out of order saying ‘temporarily unavailable,'” said Michel Lamothe, who attempted to gas up at the Shell gas station in the area of 23 Avenue and 110 Street. “It’s the first time I’ve seen it.”
“I drove over here and I went to the first pump and there was a little red bag on it. And I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll go to another one’ and there was a red bag on all of them,” said Linda Logan, who was at the same gas station.
Edmonton has 32 Shell gas stations. By Tuesday, all but 10 had run out of fuel. Of those 10, five say they have a very limited supply left. None of the 32 Shell stations know when they’ll get more gas.
In a statement to Global News, a spokesperson with Shell Canada Limited said some of their Edmonton stations are seeing fuel shortages due to maintenance work being done at their Scotford Refinery. High customer demand during the summer and tight supply across the industry are also to blame, Cameron Yost said in an email Tuesday.
“We do not currently have a timeline for when inventory levels will be back to normal. However, we are working to restock stations as quickly as we can,” he said. “We know this is an inconvenience for our customers and appreciate their patience as we diligently work to resolve these temporary shortages.”
While motorists can still find gas at other stations, one industry expert suggests there may be much more to the situation.
“I have a feeling that there is something far more serious here, which they have not disclosed at this point,” said Dan McTeague.
McTeague says the fuel shortage comes at a bad time. There’s a high demand for gas in the summer months and the Scotford Refinery is a major producer for the Prairies.
“It means that there’s going to be a number of jobbers and wholesalers scrambling for product to fulfill their own gas station needs. It obviously adds upward pressure on gas prices.”
Earlier Tuesday, McTeague expected a four-cent drop in gas prices overnight. But given the importance of the Scotford Refinery in western Canada, he’s no longer sure drivers will see a break at the pumps.
With files from Fletcher Kent, Global News.