PetroChina?s oil storage explodes, no casualties reported

An oil storage used by the joint operation body Pertamina-PetroChina (JOB PPEJ) to process crude oil at the company?s Lengowangi-1 exploration well in Gresik exploded on Wednesday morning, but no casualties were reported, Kompas reported Thursday.

The well is part of Tuban block.

The daily reported that the explosion caused fires but the company workers managed to stop the fires within 15 minutes. No casualties were reported but the daily said that four houses located about 300 meters from the area suffered cracks in their walls due the explosion.

JOB PPEJ?s field administration superintendent Budi Tambunan said that the explosion of the oil storage with a capacity of about 110 barrels had nothing to do with the company?s exploration activities.

Meanwhile, deputy operation of upstream oil and gas regulator, BP Migas Dody Hidayat said that Petrochina has sent an investigation team to find out the cause of the explosion in the well test unit in Langowangi-1.

The unit exploded by it self and when it happened, nobody conducted a test there. The unit still stands alone and has not been connected with other units, Dody said.

According to local police, the explosion might be caused by a technical problem in the oil storage?s oil and water separation equipment. (*)