Heavy Oil Discount Widens

The discount on Western Canada Select (WCS) heavy crude versus the North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) widened on Wednesday:* WCS for November delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, settled at $12.85 a barrel below WTI, according to brokerage CalRock, having settled at $12.70 a barrel under the benchmark on Tuesday.

* Suncor Energy said it will start two weeks of planned maintenance at its 137,000-barrel-per-day Montreal, Quebec, refinery on Oct. 7.

* Global oil prices edged up on worries that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could threaten oil supplies from the world’s top producing region, but a large build in U.S. crude inventories limited gains.