Fossil Energy – gas leak
The natural gas leak detected last week at a North Slope oil development has not yet been stopped, ConocoPhillips officials said Wednesday, and the company has not yet identified the source of the leak.
The company said earlier this week that they decided to evacuate non-essential employees from Alpine Central Facility and CD1 pad where the leak was detected.
Approximately 300 personnel were relocated, ConocoPhillips spokesman Michael Walter said Wednesday. Typically, 400 employees are housed at the Alpine Central Facility, he said.
Essential workers remain at CD1, and the company continues to monitor the situation and investigate the cause of the leak, Walter said.
“Crews at Alpine and the Incident Management Team in Anchorage are currently working to identify the source of the natural gas. That information will inform on how we move forward to mitigate the release.”
The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is investigating the situation as well, but the agency will not have any further comment until the investigation is complete, said special assistant Grace Salazar.
“We have staff that are in contact with the operator,” she said.