Canada at Work on $1.3 Billion in Maintenance-Related Projects through End of Year

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Earlier this month, Statistics Canada announced that Canada's economy had grown at the fastest pace in a year in July, led by non-conventional oil output and industrial production. More output means producers will need to keep an eye on maintenance to ensure their equipment and facilities stay in peak condition. Industrial Info is tracking more than $1.3 billion in active maintenance-related projects in Canada that have started or are scheduled to kick off in 2018, more than 75% of which can be found in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing Canada's active maintenance projects for 2018, by province.

The Metals & Minerals Industry alone accounts for nearly 30% of the $1.3 billion in projects, much of which is attributed to four separate series of shutdowns throughout 2018 at ArcelorMittal S.A.'s (NYSE:MT) (Luxembourg) steel works plant in Hamilton, Ontario:

• 4 million-metric-ton-per-year steel-making operations, including a pair of one-week shutdowns and monthly 34- to 36-hour partial area/equipment shutdowns; see project report
• 1.2 million-metric-ton-per-year coke-making operations, including 10 shutdowns lasting 24 hours each and four- to six-hour partial area/equipment shutdowns; see project report
• 1.6 million-metric-ton-per-year cold rolling and finishing operations, including a pair of one-week shutdowns and minor 10- to 24-hour partial area/equipment shutdowns; see project report
• 2.1 million-metric-ton-per-year iron-making operations, including a pair of one-week shutdowns and minor 10- to 24-hour partial area/equipment shutdowns; see project report

Each of the shutdowns kicked off in the first two months of the year and is expected to wrap up in December.

The single highest-valued maintenance-related project in Canada this year, according to Industrial Info's project database, is Teck Resources Limited's (NYSE:TECK) (Vancouver, British Columbia) zinc-lead smelting/refining complex in Trail, British Columbia. The facility, which processes 300,000 tons per year of zinc and 84,000 tons per year of lead, is set to undergo a four- to five-week shutdown in September and October. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing Canada's active maintenance projects for 2018, by industry.

Maintenance spending in Canada's Power Industry is led by two of the country's four active nuclear power plants: the Pickering Nuclear Power Station in Pickering, Ontario, which expects to begin a 100-day shutdown on its 540-megawatt (MW) power turbine and pressurized heavy-water reactor in September, and the Bruce Nuclear Station in Tiverton, Ontario, which expects to begin a 40-day shutdown on its 540-MW steam turbine and generators in December. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the Pickering and Bruce projects.

The Oil & Gas Industry, which accounts for a substantial part of Alberta and Saskatchewan's economies, has several maintenance projects on tap in the oil sands regions, including Canadian Natural Resources Limited's (NYSE:CNQ) (Fort McMurray, Alberta) six-month maintenance program at its 40,000-barrel-per-day (BBL/d) Wolf Lake Bitumen Production Field & Processing Plant near Bonnyville, Alberta; ConocoPhillips' (NYSE:COP) (Houston, Texas) one-month turnaround at its 40,000-BBL/d Surmont Bitumen Production Plant near Fort McMurray, Alberta; and Cenovus Energy Incorporated's (TSX:CVE) (Calgary, Alberta) two- to four-week turnaround at its 40,000-BBL/d Christina Lake Bitumen Production Plant in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The Wolf Lake project began in April and is set to wrap up in October, while the Surmont and Christina Lake projects are set to kick off and wrap up in September and October, respectively. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the Wolf Lake, Surmont and Christina Lake projects.

The only refinery in Newfoundland and Labrador is undergoing maintenance as well. North Atlantic Refining LP, a subsidiary of Silver Range Financial Partners LLC (Albany, New York), is performing maintenance on 15 crude and finished product storage tanks at the crude oil refinery in Come By Chance, which has a total capacity of 115,000 BBL/d. The nine-month project is part of a broader, two-year maintenance program. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.