An end in sight for the Shell Waterton shutdown

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Toni Lucas Pincher Creek Voice

Shell Waterton
C. Davis file photo

The Shell Waterton Complex shutdown started on July 2 following an incident at site. According to Shell Communications Advisor Amber Bassen, "We  proactively shut down the plant until late October as we needed to repair the damaged equipment, and to allow for maintenance, inspection and repair activity."  She explained that these inspections also occur at regularly scheduled intervals to ensure the safe and efficient running of the facility.

"Formerly known as turnarounds, these activities can only be executed when the equipment is not running. Depending on the size and complexity of the facility, major maintenance shutdowns generally occur every four to six years."  In regards to the current shutdown Bassen stated that, "The shutdown is expected to last until late October and requires more than 250 contractors from all major skills and trades."  This is a chance for all of the plant to be inspected, repaired and maintained, according to Bassen.  "From July to late October, we expect to complete over 180,000 man hours of work. Several important projects are planned during this shutdown, including the replacement of a condenser which was damaged following a process incident in early July."  The last shutdown of the plant was in 2008, Bassen said.


"The replacement condenser is arriving to site via truck. The condenser was manufactured and shipped from Sulphur, Louisiana, USA. Due to the over sized and over dimensional shape of the equipment, the condenser will likely take 6 days to ship and was schedule to arrive at the site on Friday, October 5.  Organizing the shipping of such a unique part is complex, and required special routing and permitting according to travel regulations in various US states."  According to Bassen this is a massive piece of equipment that weighs approximately 124,000 lbs and measures 12 ft x 21 ft.

"As the maintenance work ramps down, our regular employees will resume their working schedules," concluded Bassen.