Williams on Wednesday reported an explosion and fire at its natural gas processing facility in Opal, Wyo. It is the second such incident to occur at a Williams facility in less than a month. Williams’ LNG facility in Plymouth, Wa., exploded and caught fire March 31, injuring one employee and leading to a temporary shutdown of the plant. No injuries or property damage were reported in the Opal blast, but the town was evacuated.
Williams said in a statement the explosion damaged one of the plant’s five cryogenic processing trains. The full extent of the damage is not yet known. The Opal facility typically processes 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and produces NGLs.
Friday afternoon update: Williams said the evacuation in Opal was lifted Thursday afternoon, but the plant remains shut. Reuters reported this morning that the fire is still burning. The incident has disrupted nearly 1 billion cubic feet per day of output, according to the company and state regulators. The facility typically transports about 4-5 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas to other states.
