Husky-owned well in west-central Sask. releases steam and oil

An uncontrolled release of steam took place at a Husky Energy well site just west of Vawn, but a company spokesperson says no one was injured.

The release happened just after 10 a.m. Friday near the Edam East Thermal plant while crews were servicing the well, said Husky spokesperson Mel Duvall.

Some oil was also released during the incident. Vawn is about 190 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

Duvall was unable to specify how much oil was released but said it was a “small amount.” He said on Saturday that cleanup efforts were already underway.

“No members of the public were affected,” Duvall said. “The well site was brought under control (Friday) night and today we are working on cleanup operations.”

The reservoir serving the well site was also known to contain sour gas, but Duvall said none had been released and that the air quality around the site will continue to be monitored.

The regulatory division of the Ministry of the Economy requires any oil spill taking place in Saskatchewan be reported alongside the cause and the volume of oil released. A provincial spokesperson said in an email that regulatory staff were brought on site to monitor the situation Friday night while shutdown procedures were taking place.

The RM of Turtle River blocked access to nearby roads.

Duvall said events like this are not common and that no one was injured during the incident.