SaskEnergy will be conducting a controlled natural gas flare Thursday near Prince Albert.
The flaring is scheduled for a 6 a.m. start and will last for about an hour and a half. It will take place at a point on the SaskEnergy system southwest of the city along Highway 302.
The flaring is required to help SaskEnergy perform scheduled maintenance and do upgrade work to the natural gas transmission system.
“While the pipeline will be isolated from the remainder of the system, flaring is required to remove the remaining gas from the line before work can begin,” SaskEnergy said in a press release.
“Flaring is an industry standard procedure when natural gas needs to be released from a pipeline and reduces the carbon footprint of the vented natural gas by 85 per cent.”
Residents and drivers in the area might see a large flare being emitted from a flare stack that will temporarily be attacked to infrastructure at the location. The area around the flare will be supervised to ensure public safety.
Local emergency responders and landowners have been notified. There won’t be any disruptions to natural gas services in the area during the process.