35-year-old Fiberglass Tanks Unearthed… in Perfect Condition

In the 1980s, the most common fuel tank used at gas stations across Canada was single-wall fiberglass. These tanks were considered industry-leading at the time. However, thanks to new technologies and updated regulations, many sites are replacing these systems with double-wall tanks with leak-detection monitoring systems.

In May 2017, we worked with Suncor, an energy company based in Alberta, to upgrade three Xerxes by Shawcor single-wall fiberglass tanks at one of their Petro-Canada locations.

Environmental protection and fuel distribution savings

“One of our top priorities at Suncor is our commitment to environmental protection. In fact, it is embedded into our values,” says Craig Mills, team lead of construction and maintenance with Suncor. “We are always looking for ways to improve our environmental performance. Installing fiberglass double-wall tanks not only helps us achieve this, it reduces our environmental risk.”

Multicompartment tanks with wide range of fuel compatibility

One of the advantages of the new tanks is using the same footprint, but increasing storage. In this case, the new tanks provided the opportunity to add diesel to the fuel offering at this site. Two of the new tanks are single-compartment, each storing regular-grade fuel. The third tank is a multi-compartment tank with two separate compartments to store high-grade fuel as well as diesel.

Xerxes tanks underground petroleum storage tanks are compatible with alternate fuels, including E10 and B5 blends.

“It was important to us that the new tanks not only increased our environmental performance, they also allowed us to offer a range of fuels that address our customer’s needs,” says Craig. He also points to our track record with customer service, including easy ordering and timely deliveries.

Application highlights

• – Three 13,000 gallon/50,000 liter double-wall tanks replace single-wall tanks
• – Space-efficient multi-compartment tank
• – Corrosion-resistant tanks compatible with variety of fuels