An unusual spectacle will likely be able to be seen from afar tomorrow morning, as SaskEnergy will be conducting a controlled natural gas flare at its Weyburn compressor station.

The station is located about one kilometre north of the city, east of Highway 35.

While the timing of the flare is subject to change based on operating requirements, it is scheduled to be happening tomorrow morning, Thursday, August 11, from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m.

Residents and drivers in the area may see a 40-foot flame being emitted from the flare stack temporarily attached to SaskEnergy's infrastructure.

The flaring is necessary to perform maintenance work on the natural gas line system in the area and supports the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to SaskEnergy's customers. During this process, a portion of the gas line will be isolated from the system and natural gas will be removed from the line in a controlled burn called a flare. Flaring is an industry-standard practice when natural gas needs to be removed from a line and reduces the carbon footprint of the vented natural gas by 85 percent.

The area around the flare will be supervised to ensure public safety. Residential natural gas services in the area will not be affected. SaskEnergy has notified the City of Weyburn, the RM of Weyburn, and the local fire department about this upcoming event.