PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Ongoing Explosion/Fire Investigation: Energy Transfer Reported An Uncontrolled Release Of Ethane For 9.5 Hours From Its Revolution Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County

A January 3 DEP inspection report shows Energy Transfer reported a nine and a half hour uncontrolled release of ethane and other vapors from its Revolution Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant in Smith Township, Washington County during a Christmas Day explosion and fire at the plant.

The company reported ethane and other vapors began to leak at about 7:20 a.m. on December 25 and ceased as of 4:59 p.m. the same day.

The Observer-Reporter newspaper said the fire burned for 11 hours. Read more here.

There is no estimate yet of how much ethane was released or burned in the explosion and fire. “ETC staff are calculating the estimated quantity of gas release.”

Ethane is a heavier-than-air gas that is highly flammable and reactive chemical. Contact with ethane can cause frostbite. Exposure can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and very high levels can cause suffocation from lack of oxygen. Click Here for more.

Natural gas cryogenic plants take natural gas and cool it to sub-zero temperatures-- minus 120 degrees Fahrenheit-- in order to condense and separate out liquids like butane, ethane and propane from the gas.

In Pennsylvania, these natural gas liquids are shipped via pipeline to places like the Shell Petrochemical Plant in Beaver County to make plastics and through the Mariner East Pipelines to Southeast Pennsylvania as feedstock for other petrochemical plants and export.

Although still under investigation, the inspection report quotes a company employee as saying Energy Transfer determined a leaking valve from the “water wash area” resulted in a vapor cloud of ethane and other vapors from a one inch line under 500 pounds pressure.

“The vapor cloud then ignited and the fire spread to surrounding equipment. The ignition source is currently unknown.”

The explosion caused a “loss of communications systems” within the plant and as a result “video footage of the plant’s open flare” is unavailable. However, another plant official said visible emissions [black smoke] was noted from the flare.

“ETC is still assessing damage and repair needs at the facility. Primary operations at the facility remain on hold,” DEP said in a January 9 update.

DEP’s January 3 inspection report quotes Air Quality Engineering Specialist Alex Sandy as saying, “... replacement of equipment authorized by the current Air Quality permit may require a new authorization to ensure the latest standards are met.”

Flaring Continues/Plant Shutdown?

Although DEP said the facility is “shutdown until further notice,” according to the inspection report, on January 8, residents near the facility took photos and video of combustible gases being burned off through the plant’s flaring system for hours.

On January 10, an Observer-Reporter reporter article said the facility has “resumed partial operations.”

However, a photo taken by residents shows the flare is giving off black smoke, an indication of incomplete combustion and further possible malfunctions at the plant.

Click Here to watch the video and hear the noise from 1,500 away.

DEP’s inspection report notes they inspected the flare system on January 3 and it seemed “to be in good working order.”

On January 9, DEP said its staff is “aware of the flaring” and the flaring “is part of DEP’s ongoing investigation of the facility” to determine the cause of the December 25 explosion and whether any environmental regulations were violated before the fire and are continuing with the flaring.

Cat Lodge, a resident near the facility said the plant and another similar plant across the road owned by MarkWest had problems with flaring in the past.

“Black smoke is an incomplete combustion and that’s a [air pollution] violation. They’re not allowed to do that,” said Lodge. “It’s supposed to be a clean burn so that it isn’t coming out black.”

MarkWest Plant Expansion

Multiple natural gas facilities are located in the Smith Township area of Washington County.

Within two miles of Cat Lodge’s home there are 10 well pads, 4 compressor stations, 2 cryogenic natural gas processing plants, 1 metering station, 1 residual waste landfill, multiple pipelines and pig launcher and receivers throughout our farming areas.

The MarkWest Harmon Creek Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant next to the Energy Transfer plant is now applying for DEP Air Quality Approval to expand the plant.

On January 3, three environmental groups asked DEP for an extension of the public comment period on the Air Quality Approval, which started December 3 and continued through the holidays.

The Environmental Integrity Project, Clean Air Council and PennFuture said the MarkWest Plant had a history of frequent and illegal flaring events almost monthly in 2020 and 2021.

The letter also said, “As a preliminary matter, the Department should complete a full investigation of the explosion and fire at the Energy Transfers Revolution Gas Plant on December 25, 2022 before issuing a final Plan Approval.”

The MarkWest and Energy Transfer facilities have similar designs.

DEP has not yet responded to the groups’ January 3 letter.

Other Background

[Note: Energy Transfer subsidiary ETC Revolution Pipeline was fined $30.6 million by DEP for a 2018 explosion of its brand new Revolution Natural Gas Pipeline in Beaver County. Read more here.

[The Public Utility Commission fined the company $1 million for the same explosion. Read more here.

[Energy Transfer was convicted of criminal charges by the Office of Attorney General for the same explosion and for construction practices used in the Mariner East Natural Gas Liquids Pipelines. Read more here.

[Energy Transfer’s subsidiary Sunoco Pipeline has been fined more than $24 million related to dozens of violations during the construction of the Mariner East Pipelines. Read more here.

[Recent articles about the struggles of Navy veterans Patrick & Helen Robinson in Indiana County [Read more here] and the Shawley Family in Cambria County [Read more here] illustrate the kind of on-the-ground impacts the Mariner East Pipelines construction has had. Those problems have yet to be resolved.]

(Photos: Top- Plant flare system continues to burn with dirty, black smoke - Jan. 8 photo; Original fire at the plant; Bottom- DEP inspection report photos of plant damage.)

NewsClip:

-- Observer-Reporter: Energy Transfer Natural Gas Cryogenic Plant Resumes Partial Operations [1.10.23]

Related Articles - Energy Transfer Plant Fire:

-- Observer-Reporter: Explosion, Fire At Energy Transfer’s Revolution Natural Gas Cryogenic Plant Burned For Nearly 11 Hours On Christmas Day In Smith Twp., Washington County

-- Guest Essay: Counties, PEMA Need To Include A Complete Vulnerability Assessment Of All Natural Gas Facilities In State, County Hazard Mitigation Emergency Plans

PA DEP Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Jan. 7 to 13 [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - Jan. 14 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 46 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Jan. 14 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Compliance Reports:

-- PA Oil & Gas Industry Has Record Year: Cost, Criminal Convictions Up; $3.1 Million In Penalties Collected; Record Number Of Violations Issued; Major Compliance Issues Uncovered; Evidence Of Health Impacts Mounts

-- DEP Report Finds: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Routinely Abandon Wells; Fail To Report How Millions Of Gallons Of Waste Is Disposed; And Non-Compliance Is An ‘Acceptable Norm’