Fuel will once again be running through the Buncefield oil depot in Hertfordshire after works begin to restore pipe work on the site in August 2007. The site was virtually destroyed by an explosion, which was the largest in peacetime Europe, in December 2005 after a leak of petrol from a storage tank ignited. The story was a continuing feature in our Monthly Bulletins throughout 2006 with firefighters tackling the blaze for four days and many residents and businesses forced into temporary accommodation for months. Total UK will be reconnecting an underground pipeline that runs from an oil refinery in Humberside to the depot and then on to Heathrow.
The work will not involve any storage tanks on the site and planning permission will not be required. In a statement, Total said, "The programme to repair facilities meets all the necessary UK safety standards. We have worked closely with the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) throughout the process." The move follows an announcement by BP that it will be seeking planning permission to re-open its relatively undamaged part of the depot, a move which has been condemned by local business organisation the Marylands Partnership.
In similar news, the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the HSE have issued a consultation on a new policy to improve the storage of dangerous liquids, under the Control of Major Accident Hazard (COMAH) Regulations SI 1999/743. Responses are due by 19 September 2007, with the policy expected to be finalised by December 2007.
