據彭博社5月22日報道，加拿大主要能源產區艾伯塔省的野火蔓延形勢在周六仍然不穩定，石油和天然氣生產的中斷導致買家面臨供應削減。

據知情人士透露，至少有兩家買家在本周收到了不可抗力（force majeure）通知，并且本月的低硫加拿大原油供應將削減5%或更多。彭比納管道公司也宣布對其和平管道系統采取依據不可抗力條款進行的措施，該管道系統將西部油氣田的天然氣液體輸送到埃德蒙頓地區。

據能源咨詢公司雷斯塔能源估計，由于火災的影響，加拿大當地每日石油和天然氣產量相當于約24萬桶損失，甚至可能超過30萬桶。據艾伯塔省的數據顯示，截至上周六夜間，艾伯塔省境內共有86起野火，比周五減少了7起，失控火災數量穩定在26起。

加拿大和美國的2800多名消防員正面臨炎熱、干燥和大風的條件，艾伯塔省發言人克里斯蒂·塔克（Christie Tucker）周六表示，預計未來幾天將有雨水和較涼爽的天氣，但很大程度上取決于雨水的降落地點。“雖然撲滅野火時有陣雨是很好的，但我們會非常仔細地監測雷暴情況。”塔克表示，因為雷擊可能引發新的火災。

塔克表示，周四有一處野火穿越埃德蒙頓西北260公里（162英里）的43號公路靠近福克斯溪附近，火焰仍在向埃德蒙頓鎮逼近。該地區是杜韋爾內頁巖地層中輕質石油和天然氣鉆探的重要中心。

油氣供應中斷已經對一個關鍵樞紐的石油庫存產生影響。根據地理空間行業數據提供商Ursa Space Systems的數據，截至5月13日埃德蒙頓的儲油罐存儲了1810萬桶，該地比艾伯塔省另一個主要樞紐哈迪斯蒂（Hardisty）更靠近火災發生地區，而該地5月初的庫存為1970萬桶。哈迪斯蒂的庫存量基本穩定。

這一局勢也開始對加拿大的經濟預測產生影響。ATB金融公司估計，這些大火可能會使本月該國的實際國內生產總值減少0.1%至0.3%。

到目前為止，火災主要影響了艾伯塔省西部的天然氣產區。

吳奇之 編譯自 鉆井地帶 網站

原文如下：

Outages Hit Canada Oil Supply as Alberta Wildfires Persist

The wildfire situation in Canada’s top energy-producing province of Alberta remained volatile Saturday, while the disruptions to oil and gas production now have buyers facing supply cuts. 

At least two buyers were notified this week of force majeures and cuts of 5% or more to their receipts of low-sulfur Canadian crude this month, according to people familiar with the matter. Pembina Pipeline Corp. also declared force majeure on its Peace Pipeline system, which carries natural gas liquids from western oil and gas fields to the Edmonton area, according to two people who received the notice.

In all, the equivalent of about 240,000 barrels of daily oil and gas production — and perhaps more than 300,000 barrels — have been shut due to the fires, consultant Rystad Energy estimates. A total of 86 wildfires were burning in Alberta as of Saturday evening, down by seven from Friday, while the number of out-of-control blazes was steady at 26, provincial data show.

More than 2,800 firefighters from Canada and the US are on the ground, dealing with hot, dry and gusty conditions, Christie Tucker, a spokeswoman for Alberta Wildfire, said Saturday.

Rain and cooler weather are anticipated in the next days, but a lot depends on where that rain falls. “While showers will certainly be welcomed by firefighters, we monitor thunderstorms very carefully,” Tucker said, as lightning strikes might start new fires.

A wildfire crossed Highway 43 near Fox Creek, 260 kilometers (162 miles) northwest of Edmonton, on Thursday and flames were still close to the town, Tucker said. The area is a major center for drilling light oil and gas in the Duvernay shale formation.

The disruptions are already weighing on oil inventories at one critical hub. Storage tanks in Edmonton, which is closer to the blazes than Alberta’s other major hub of Hardisty, were holding 18.1 million barrels as of May 13, according to geospatial industry-data provider Ursa Space Systems. That’s down from 19.7 million at the start of May. Volumes at Hardisty are holding broadly steady.

The situation is also starting to weigh on economic forecasts for Canada. ATB Financial estimated on Friday that the infernos may trim 0.1% to 0.3% off the country’s real gross domestic product this month.

So far, the blazes have mostly struck the gas-producing region of western Alberta.