One worker killed and four injured in Brega gas plant explosion as Suleiman warns against delays in maintenance funding
The NOC says supplies and production are unaffected and a technical investigation into the cause has begun
LIBYA – The National Oil Corporation has announced that an Arab worker was killed and four other Sirte Oil Company employees were injured in an explosion on Wednesday morning on one of the fuel gas lines feeding the steam boilers at the gas plant in Marsa Al-Brega, after a limited fire broke out at the site. NOC Chairman Masoud Suleiman warned of the consequences of delays in funding maintenance work for the safety of facilities and workers.
Fire brought under control and plant shut down as a precaution
The NOC said emergency and firefighting teams had fought the fire, closed the gas lines and brought it under control, before shutting the plant down completely as a precautionary measure, securing the site and taking the necessary steps to protect workers and facilities.
It affirmed that the company’s operations were continuing normally and that neither gas supplies to the local market nor crude oil production had been affected by the incident.
Preliminary information points to a gas leak; technical investigation ordered
Suleiman said, as reported by Libya Al-Hadath TV, that preliminary information pointed to a leak in the gas line feeding one of the boilers, adding that he had instructed the relevant authorities to begin a technical investigation to determine the causes and factors that contributed to the incident.
He noted that the plant is more than 55 years old, warning that delays in approving and releasing maintenance allocations were hampering routine maintenance and major overhauls and affecting the operational reliability of equipment and the integrity of assets.
Call to fund maintenance and prioritise protection systems
Suleiman warned that postponing inspections of protection systems, including safety valves and alarm devices, could reduce their readiness and increase the risks to workers, calling on the relevant authorities to speed up funding for maintenance programmes and to give priority to equipment and protection systems according to their level of risk.
He stressed that the oil industry is by its nature hazardous and requires adherence to the highest safety standards and assurance of asset efficiency at all industrial sites.
