Some 9 gallons of oil in Oliktok release
A May 21 release of some 915 gallons of produced water at Eni’s North Slope Oliktok production pad contained no more than nine gallons of oil, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Spill Prevention and Response said May 29 in a final incident report.
Produced water began escaping from the gas flare stack connected to the production facility at 6 p.m. May 21; the production facility and producing wells were shut down.
A third party investigator hired by Eni determined the release was caused by an electrical power interruption which caused the production facility well bays to shut-in, leading to a disruption of the plant’s water system which allowed produced water to escape through the gas flare stack.
Oil production at Oliktok resumed May 22 at 7:30 p.m.
DEC said Eni and Alaska Clean Seas responders worked 18-hour shifts May 21-24 removing released fluids from an off-pad snow dump. The snow dump is about an acre in size, lower than the surrounding gravel pads with a surface of gravel, devoid of vegetation, and is naturally saturated with ocean water. Using a vacuum truck, responders removed 56,994 gallons of saltwater and produced water from the snow dump. Five hundred seventy-five cubic yards of contaminated snow and ice were removed to an approved grind and inject facility.
Field tests found no observable sheen from soil and remaining snow, but DEC requested that Eni maintain absorbent boom around the spill area during breakup and monitor the area daily for sheen.
- Petroleum News
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