Oil Sands Virus Outbreak Expands to Canadian Natural’s Horizon

(Bloomberg) -- The coronavirus challenge facing Canada’s oil sands grew with a new outbreak in Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.’s Horizon site.

Five cases of Covid-19 have been identified that are linked to the Northern Alberta oil sands mine and crude upgrader, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health for the province, said in a press conference Wednesday. Horizon is the second oil sands site to register an outbreak after Imperial Oil Ltd.’s Kearl mine’s first cases in mid-April. The Kearl outbreak has grown to 107 cases as of Wednesday, Hinshaw said.

The pandemic is hitting the world’s third-largest crude reserve at a time when several operations undergo maintenance that typically requires thousands of workers to fly in and lodge in close quarters at remote camps. Both Horizon and Kearl are currently going through repair work.

The fact that the pandemic has largely been contained to two work sites out of hundreds across the province indicates that producers have done a good job at preventing infections, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Wednesday in the press conference.

“This is very limited,” he said.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.