USA: Explosion Causes Fire at Plymouth LNG Facility

Williams Partners said that an explosion and fire occurred on Monday at the company’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Plymouth, Washington. The facility is owned by Williams Partners’ subsidiary Northwest Pipeline.

The facility was shut down yesterday morning. One employee was injured and four others were assessed by medical personnel and then released, the company said in a statement.

Company officials’ initial assessment of the incident determined this was not a natural gas pipeline rupture; rather, it occurred within the LNG storage facility. The tanks involved were about one-third full of liquefied natural gas.

“Company officials and emergency responders late Monday were conducting a visual inspection of the facility using remotely operated devices and are developing a plan for returning to the facility. Once it is safe to return to the plant, we will begin a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident. Williams’ officials are working in close coordination with local emergency personnel in response to the incident and we regret the inconvenience this has caused to our neighbors in Plymouth,” the company added.

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LNG World News Staff, April 1, 2014