AUGUST 31, 2015
An explosion hit a gas processing plant in Venezuela around seven p.m. local time Monday.
The plant, operated by Venezuelan national oil and gas company PDVSA, processes natural gas flowing from the Repsol and Eni-run Cardon IV offshore block.
According to a post on Twitter by PDVSA, the explosion at the gas treatment plant in Tiguadare was caused by a ruptured fuel system heater.
PDVSA said that thanks to the activation of the fire control system nobody was injured in the incident, and the fire was immediately controlled.
The company is now assessing the damage and the reason for the failure of the equipment. It said that gas deliveries from the offshore block were reduced, but expected to return to normal levels imminently.
The Cardon IV offshore block contains the giant Perla gas field. The field began producing in July 2015, at 150 million cubic feet (Mcf) of gas a day, with the aim of increasing the capacity to 450 Mcf/day by the end of 2015. The gas is used for local consumption in Venezuela.
Offshore Energy Today Staff