One of the world’s biggest gas terminals was at the centre of an investigation last night after gas pumped in from the North Sea exploded in a laboratory.
Work at the Total E&P UK sector of the St Fergus Terminal, near Peterhead, ground to a halt yesterday afternoon after natural gas caught fire in a testing facility.
Three workers who were nearby had a lucky escape, walking away with only minor injuries, which were treated at the scene.
Dozens of emergency service vehicles were called to the site following the explosion just before 2pm.
The laboratory where the fire took place is understood to be a testing facility where workers sample gas coming ashore from North Sea fields.
An investigation into the cause of the explosion will continue this morning, but fire and police crews have completed their inquiries at the scene.
The terminal, which opened in the late 1970s, covers 220 acres close to the coast north of Peterhead.
It receives and processes about a fifth of the UK’s daily gas requirements, then pumps supplies along a 45-mile pipeline to the Garlogie compressor.
A spokesman for Total said all workers had to muster in the canteen and were not allowed to leave until fire crews gave them the go-ahead.
He said: “All 117 personnel at the St Fergus site have been accounted for. The staff muster has been stood down and personnel have been allowed to return to their workplaces.
“The incident is contained and site operations are not impacted. The full extent and the cause of the incident are currently being investigated.”
A spokeswoman for Grampian Fire and Rescue said the building had to be ventilated before officers could investigate the fire.
She confirmed that six fire engines had been called to the fire, two from Peterhead, two from Fraserburgh, one from Maud and another from Ellon. A hazardous-material crew was also at the scene.
Chief Inspector Colin Walker, of Grampian Police, said investigations were continuing into the cause of the explosion.
He said the fire had been extinguished before fire and rescue services arrived.
There was structural damage to the building, he added, and the laboratory would remain cordoned off during the investigation.
Chief Insp Walker said: “I would like to reassure the public that the tried-and-tested emergency procedures worked well and at no point was there a threat to public safety.
“This is another investigation we have to fulfil but the incident is not thought to be suspicious in any way.”
St Fergus receives gas from more than 20 fields in the North Sea and, on average, processes about 20% of the UK’s daily gas requirements.