Middletown Kleen Energy Plant
Before & After the Blast
Photo source: CSB
Posted 3/1/10
Six workers died as the result of a major explosion Feb. 7th at the Kleen Energy natural gas-fired power plant under construction in Middletown. A federal agency investigating the blast, the U.S Chemical Safety Board (CSB) says the safety issues raised by this accident should be of national interest.
Over the last several years, public hostility to old-style coal or oil-fired electric power plants that spew tons of pollutants into the air has given rise to numerous new natural gas-fired plants in construction and on the drawing board across the nation. The sales pitch by the energy industry is that these are modern and “clean” facilities.
Due to the popularity of gas-fired plants, the CSB says the “safety issues raised by (the Middletown) accident are not limited to Connecticut.” CSB Investigations Supervisor Don Holmstrom says the safety of thousands of workers building these facilities and “the nation’s energy independence are at stake” over the next 20 years.
Holmstrom said since the Middletown explosion, energy industry firms and safety regulators from around the world have contacted his agency inquiring about the circumstances of the accident. That sense of international urgency led the CSB to make some interim recommendations even before their probe is complete.
The tragic mishap occurred as plant personnel were purging or cleaning pipes of debris by using natural gas under high-pressure. Holmstrom said it’s been determined that 400,000 cubic feet of natural gas built up in a congested area of the power complex, enough gas to fill a pro-basketball arena floor to ceiling, according to the CSB investigator. The danger was compounded by the presence of numerous “construction-related activities” in the building, leading the CSB to conclude there were numerous “potential ignition sources” for the blast.
Sadly, it appears the purging and venting activities at the plant did not fall distinctly under any existing safety regulations or codes. The CSB said that situation must change.
In the meantime, the CSB is urging great caution for power companies and other industries against the venting of high-pressure natural gas in or near work sites. Holmstrom said though this practice is common, it is “inherently unsafe.”
The safety agency is exploring safer alternatives including the use of air, steam, nitrogen, or water in the venting process. However, Holmstrom sidestepped several questions from reporters on whether such options are more costly to companies than the natural gas strategy.
Holmstrom did indicate that just three days before the Middletown explosion, the CSB urged changes to the National Fuel Gas Code to “prevent disastrous explosions involving gas purging.” Last week, the National Fire Protection Agency voted to advance the CSB’s recommendations. Once fully adopted, Holmstrom claims those reforms will apply at “hundreds of thousands of facilities.”
Given the popularity of natural-gas fired power plants as a “clean” electricity generating option for the future, the special safety challenges these facilities pose demand more attention. Nuclear power plants employ large squads of experts and workers focusing on radiation hazards and safe shutdown procedures to prevent a nuclear “meltdown” if a mishap occurs.
Holmstrom was asked to comment on the percentage of scientific and safety personnel at gas-fired plants who display expertise on the properties and hazards of natural gas. He did not have a direct answer. “Those are issues we will examine during our investigation,” said the CSB official. “It’s too soon to address that topic.”
For now, the CSB is clear about one point. Flammable gas purges must be done with intense monitoring. The agency’s interim report said purging-related accidents at Kleen Energy in Middletown, the ConAgra Slim Jim plant in North Carolina, the Ford River Rouge power plant in Michigan and the Hilton Hotel in San Diego all show the need to ensure that “flammable gases are not vented into close proximity with ignition sources and workers.” Holmstrom said that is the key safety message emanating from all those tragedies.