Deep Panuke wells pumping natural gas again following fire
by The Canadian Press
Deep Panuke wells about 250 kilometres east of Halifax started pumping natural gas again after Aug. 3 fire
HALIFAX—The Deep Panuke natural gas wells off Nova Scotia have resumed production after an electrical fire shut down operations.
A spokesperson for Encana Corp. says the wells, located about 250 kilometres east of Halifax, started pumping natural gas again Aug. 7 after the electrical fire halted work Aug. 3.
Jay Averill says in an email the wells are back to pre-shutdown levels of 210 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.
An inquiry into the cause of the fire will be prepared by Encana and operator SBM Offshore N.V. and the report will be reviewed by the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB).
A board spokesperson said a transformer caught fire and a sprinkler system extinguished the blaze.
The platform also had an electrical fire on Jan. 19, 2013, that resulted in a temporary shutdown of its operations.
Safety reports obtained by The Canadian Press said a failure to conduct annual maintenance inspections was the underlying reason behind that fire.
