COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Suncor Energy has begun repair and restart work on one of three plants at the company's refinery in Commerce City and expects to have it back up and running sometime next week.
A Suncor spokesperson told 9NEWS it will take several days to reopen Plant 2, which is one of three plants at the facility. They're still conducting repairs and assessments on the other two.
The spokesperson said the entire facility is still expected to be fully operational by the end of March, adding that the process is "right on schedule."
Their main priority in reopening Plant 2 is to do it safely, according to the spokesperson.
A notification from Suncor that went out Thursday said people may see increased flaring at the facility. The notification said they are monitoring air quality during the reopening process.
The refinery was shut down in late December after experiencing equipment damage due to extremely cold weather. Suncor said putting the facility on "safe mode" would allow for the inspection of all units and repair of the damaged equipment.
Gas prices on the Front Range have steadily climbed since the plant was shut down, as the region relies on Suncor's gasoline production and must use gas that's been shipped in from other places when it can't be refined locally.
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