Tower of flames
Photo by Jennifer Frazier, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
|
Aftermath
Photo by Jennifer Frazier, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
|
Black smoke
Photo by Jennifer Frazier, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
|
Hot
Photo by Jennifer Frazier, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
|
Click on this link for a video of the fire and additional explosions. Source: YouTube video, 1:30 mins. Scroll down for more photos.
|
|
Impacts on Pinedale Anticline and Jonah Field gas companies from Falcon shut down
Enterprise, Ultra and Shell operations disrupted
by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
Original Post December 7, 2011 | Updated January 13, 2012
(Editor's Note: We updated this article on January 13, 2012 with a link to a YouTube video of the fire and explosions. We updated this article on December 8 with a copy of the media release from Enterprise issued on Dec. 6th, and a statement from BP.)
Below are comments from Pinedale Anticline and Jonah Field gas companies regarding impacts to their operations from the shut down of the Falcon compressor station explosion in the Jonah Field on Tuesday, December 6th. We’ve also added more photos of the explosion and aftermath, taken by Jennifer Frazier, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. We also want to clarify comments made in other media that two people were injured in the explosion. This is incorrect. No one was injured as a direct result of the explosion or subsequent fire. The two medical transports were related to preexisting conditions that were exacerbated by the incident. One person was taken to the Pinedale Medical Clinic and the other was taken to Memorial Hospital in Rock Springs.
Ultra Resources, Inc.
"We can confirm that Ultra-operated production on the Pinedale Anticline in Wyoming has been affected by an incident at the Enterprise Falcon Compressor Station. Enterprise is rerouting production to another compressor station and we have started to restore production that had to be temporarily shut-in. The extent of damage at the Falcon Compressor Station is still under investigation at this time."
Contact: Cally McKee, Manager, Environmental & Regulatory, Ultra Resources, Inc., 307.367.6442 (Pinedale)
Shell Exploration & Production Co.
"I can confirm that Shell-operated production on the Anticline has been affected by the incident at the Enterprise Falcon Compressor Station. Enterprise is rerouting production to another compressor station and we have started to restore production that had to be temporarily shut-in."
Contact: Darci Sinclair, Communications, US Rockies, Shell Exploration & Production Co., 303-222-6348 (Denver, Colorado)
Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.
"This was not our facility and not our gas as far as I know but it will certainly disrupt things for awhile." Contact: Randy Teeuwen, Public & Community Relations Advisor, Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., 720-876-5468 (Denver, Colorado)
QEP Resources, Inc.
"The compressor fire has had no impact on QEP’s gas operations as we send our gas through a completely different gathering and compression system. Everything is normal for us."
Contact: Scott Gutberlet, Director, Investor Relations, QEP Resources, Inc. 303-672-6988 (Denver, Colorado)
BP (updated Dec. 8, 2011)
"Our gas doesn’t go through that station, so we don’t anticipate it will impact our operations in the Jonah. Our sympathy goes out to the company in how they deal with this accident."
Chad Calvert, Director of Government Affairs (Denver, Colorado)
Bureau of Land Management
"The Falcon Compressor Station is on state land so the BLM is not directly involved, but we are monitoring the situation. The BLM requires reporting from operators for the long-term rather than for daily activities, so our information on how operators are dealing with the loss of Falcon is not very detailed."
Contact: Shelley Gregory, Public Relations, 307-315-0612 (Rock Springs, Wyoming)
Enterprise Products (Updated Dec. 8)
Falcon Station Fire Update: Houston, Texas (December 6, 2011) – Enterprise Products Partners reported that equipment inside its Falcon natural gas compressor station in southwestern Wyoming caught fire today at approximately 12:15 MST. All Enterprise employees and contractors have been accounted for and there is no apparent threat to the public as a result of the incident, which occurred in a remote area of Sublette County. Enterprise has halted the flow of natural gas, isolating the compressor station, and is working with local emergency responders and law enforcement authorities to ensure the safety and security of the facility.
The Falcon station, which is part of Enterprise’s Jonah Gas Gathering System, provides compression to transport natural gas production from the Pinedale field to processing plants in the region. The extent of the damage is not yet known, and the cause of the incident is under investigation.
Contact: Renetta Eaton, 303-672-6988 (Houston, Texas)
Photos by Jennifer Frazier, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
Related Links
Falcon Compressor Station explosions and fire - Sublette County Sheriff’s Office release, Dec. 6, 2011
Explosion in the Jonah Field - Pinedale Online, Dec. 6, 2011 (3 photos)
Two injured in fire, explosions at Wyoming natural gas site - Casper Star-Tribune, By Jeremy Fugleberg, Dec. 6, 2011
www.enterpriseproducts.com - Enterprise Products
Natural gas site fire hits Wyoming natural gas production - By Jeremy Fugleberg, Casper Star-Tribune, Dec. 7, 2011
|
|
