Energy / Gas plant remains shut after heating system fault
SHETLAND Gas Plant remains out of action today following a fault with a heating system yesterday (Tuesday).
Production is still shutdown whilst TotalEnergies conducts an investigation into the incident.
The Health and Safety Executive is aware of the incident and is making enquiries.
The fault resulted in steam being released, which was seen in the skies by people in Shetland.
A spokesperson for Total Energies said staff are also assessing when it will be safe to restart production.
“We will not restart production until it is safe to do so,” they said.
“As a result of the incident, steam was emitting from the plant, visible to people at a distance from the site.
“We wish to reassure people that the substance came from the heating system, was made up primarily of water and was not a hydrocarbon leak.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: “We’re aware of an incident at Shetland Gas Plant, which resulted in a complete site shutdown and a period of flaring for safety reasons on Tuesday 5th December.
“SEPA officers contacted the operators and confirmed that the site remains shut down, no gas is currently entering or exiting the site and there is no ongoing flaring. However, further flaring may take place when plant operations start up again.
“We expect the operator to minimise any potential disruption where possible and our enquiries are ongoing.”
The gas plant, located near Sullom Voe Terminal, takes in gas from fields to the West of Shetland.
The facility processes the gas before it is piped onwards to the Scottish mainland.
When the site opened in the mid 2010s TotalEnergies said the plant would provide around eight per cent of the UK’s gas needs.
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