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Why is fire-threatened Fort McMurray so essential to Canada's oil market?

A wildfire threatening the Canadian oil sands center of Fort McMurray has actually prompted thousands of people to evacuate the remote northern Alberta city, reviving memories of a destructive blaze eight years back.

On Wednesday, officials said beneficial winds were likely to push the blaze far from the city, but oil market gamers are viewing advancements carefully. Up until now, no companies have reported any effect on operations as an outcome of the wildfire or evacuation orders.

The 2016 fires ruined large parts of Fort McMurray and shut in more than a million barrels each day (bpd) of crude production.

Canada is the world's fourth-biggest oil manufacturer. Here's. why Fort McMurray is so crucial:

LOCATION

The city of around 70,000 individuals is surrounded by boreal. forest and lies roughly 400 km (250 miles) north of Edmonton. It. is the just major city centre in the oil sands area. The largest projects are primarily just north of Fort McMurray,. with Suncor Energy's Base Plant and its majority-owned. Syncrude project both within 50 km (30 miles) of the city. Suncor said in a statement on Tuesday that a number of its employees. were affected by the wildfire situation.

Further north, other major sites include Canadian Natural. Resources Ltd's Horizon upgrader and Imperial Oil's. Kearl mine.

Canadian Natural Resources stated on Wednesday it was closely. keeping an eye on the circumstance and would supply assistance as required to. staff and their families in evacuation areas. Imperial did not. instantly respond to requests for remark.

Lots of oil business fly remote workers in and out of Fort. McMurray's airport.

PRODUCTION

The oil sands hold the world's third-largest crude reserves. and produce 3.3 million bpd, roughly two-thirds of Canada's. overall output. The oil sands industry contributes about 3% of the. Canadian economy.

Business draw out the thick tar-like oil by either mining or. steaming bitumen deposits, which can be upgraded into light. synthetic petroleum or combined into a heavy sour crude.

MARKET RESPONSE

Both the U.S. oil benchmark West Texas Intermediate. ( WTI) crude and Canada's heavy benchmark crude Western Canada. Select (WCS) gained assistance from issues that the fires could. dent oil production.

The discount on WCS reinforced around $1 in morning trade. on Wednesday to $11.60 a barrel listed below WTI, according to a. broker.

LABOR FORCE

Oil sands business draw a substantial portion of their. labor force from Fort McMurray.

Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction is the biggest. market in the Fort McMurray region employing 13,200 individuals, or. 32% of the regional working population, according to a 2021 labor. study by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which. includes Fort McMurray.

An additional 22,500 people become part of the shadow. population of workers in the industry, referring to employees who. live somewhere else but fly in for shifts at oil sands projects and. live in camps.

(source: Reuters)