Was Buncefield rebuilt?
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Was Buncefield rebuilt?
The first, Buncefield, was destroyed 12 years ago – it was rebuilt in a different place and named the West London Pipeline and Storage. It is managed by the British Pipeline Agency (BPA) on behalf of owners Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Total, and Valero.
What fuel is stored at Buncefield?
About half of the complex is dedicated to the storage of aviation fuel. The remainder of the complex stores oil, kerosene, petrol and diesel fuel for petrol stations across much of the South-East of England. The terminal is owned by TOTAL UK Limited (60%) and Texaco 40%.
What caused Buncefield explosion?
The explosion was caused by an overflow from one of the storage tanks resulting in the release of over 300 tons of petrol. As a result, a vapour cloud spread over an area of 80,000m2, which was ignited and exploded. Considerable damage was caused in the vicinity of the explosion and a total of 43 people were injured.
When was buncefield built?
1968
Construction and operation The expanded site was built in 1968 by George Wimpey for BP and Shell-Mex. A pipeline was constructed to link two Shell refineries in Stanlow in the North West of England at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, and Shell Haven on the Thames Estuary at Stanford-le-Hope in Thurrock.
What went wrong at Buncefield?
Eventually large quantities of petrol overflowed from the top of the tank. A vapour cloud formed which ignited causing a massive explosion and a fire that lasted five days. The gauge had stuck intermittently after the tank had been serviced in August 2005.
What happened to the environment in and around Buncefield after the accident?
About 33 million L of fire water were recovered after the fire and the rest soaked into the ground, polluting the soil and groundwater. The explosion and fire destroyed most of the fuel storage site as well as industrial and domestic properties off-site, including a major office block.
