A malfunction at Shell’s petrochemical plant in Beaver County once again lit the sky orange on Monday evening [November 28] in the first incident since the company announced the start of commercial operations two weeks ago, according to the Post-Gazette.

Shell Polymers Monaca posted on its Facebook page that “an issue with our steam generator” prompted the company to activate its ground flare system — a series of flares encased in a metal structure that looks like a sports stadium.

The flares are used to relieve pressure in the malfunctioning piece of equipment by burning off whatever is meant to flow through it.

Carnegie Mellon’s Project Breathe

Carnegie Mellon's Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment Lab (CREATELab) Project Breathe released some dramatic video of the Shell Ethane Plant natural gas flaring late on November 28.

Click Here to view.

The video seems like it is from Pittsburgh’s industrial past.

NewsClips:

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Malfunction At Shell’s Ethane Plant In Beaver County Turned Sky Orange By Burning Natural Gas Flaring System

-- CBSPittsburgh: Orange Glow Seen In Sky Around Beaver County Ethane Plant

-- Bob Donnan Blog: Massive Natural Gas Flaring At Shell’s New Ethane Plant

Related Articles This Week:

-- AG Shapiro: Coterra Energy, Formerly Cabot Oil & Gas, Pleads No Contest To 15 Criminal Charges Related To Polluting Water Supplies In Dimock, Susquehanna County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Has Ordered A ‘Top To Bottom Review’ Of How It Regulates Underground Natural Gas Storage Areas As A Result Of The Equitrans Gas Leak In Cambria County In Nov.  [PaEN]

-- DEP Preparing To Plug The Next 198 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells With Federal Funding  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Schedule For Updating Conventional Oil & Gas Environmental, Waste Regulations Will Be Up To Gov. Shapiro  [PaEN]

-- EQB Overwhelmingly Approves Emergency Regulation Setting VOC/Methane Limits For Conventional Oil & Gas Facilities; Republicans Vote Against  [PaEN]

-- Natural Resources Defense Council Blog: Rising Cost Of Pennsylvania’s Petrochemical Industry Subsidies - By Mark Szybist

DEP Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 26 To Dec. 2  [PaEN]

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

-- DEP Posted 80 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Dec. 3 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

[Posted: December 1, 2022]

12/5/2022