The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘ No immediate concern’over flare
OPERATORS OF a North Sea platform which is leaking gas have said there is “no immediate concern” about a flare still alight on it.
All 238 workers were taken off Total’s Elgin PUQ platform, about 150 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, when the leak was discovered on Sunday.
A spokesman for the company said last night that the wind is blowing the gas plume eastwards, in the opposite direction of the flare.
He said: “There is no immediate concern about any ignition because of the distance between the gas and the flare. There is also a prevailing easterly wind, taking the plume away from the flare.”
It could take as long as six months to drill a relief well to stop the release of gas, according to the oil firm.
An exclusion zone of two nautical miles (2.3 miles) has been set up around Elgin, with ships and aircraft ordered to stay away.
In a statement, Total said the situation is “currently stable”.
It said: “We continue to take all possible measures to confirm the source and cause of the leak and to bring it under control.
“A further oil spill response (OSRL) surveillance flight left this morning at 8am to review the situation. Initial reports from OSRL indicate that the gas cloud is visible and heading east.
“A sheen is visible on the surface of the sea but our surveillance data indicates that the area it covers remains unchanged. Seawater samples have been taken and sent to a specialist laboratory for analysis.”
The statement said: “The precise cause of the gas leak is still being investigated and our efforts continue to focus on bringing it under control.”
The Scottish Government has said it is monitoring developments.
Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “As the situation currently stands, impact on the environment, which is the Scottish Government’s area of responsibility, is minimal.”