Refinery's large flare was due to power outage

The power outage on Wednesday night was the reason behind the extra-large flare coming out of the Husky Energy refinery's stacks.

In an email response to the Citizen, company spokesperson Kim Guttormson said the outage caused all of the refinery's units to shut down and when that happens, the equipment needs to be de-depressurized.

As part of the process, light hydrocarbons are released into a system which safely handles them through flaring.

"When a shutdown happens suddenly (compared to a planned shutdown), a greater amount of light hydrocarbons are released, which leads to a larger flare," Guttormson said. "In these cases there is often a smokier flare as steam, which is normally applied to the flare, isn't available."

Especially amidst the darkness that enveloped the city, the plume made for a spectacular sight while also prompting concerns that the refinery was on fire. Be rest assured it was not, nor was the refinery the cause of the outage

Instead, B.C. Hydro says it suspects a lightning strike led to a transmission failure that left most of the city without power for about 20 minutes, and affected more than 120,000 customers across northern B.C.

- with files from The Canadian Press