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Shell chemicals plant in Deer Park reports 'flaring' due to tornado in the area
Shell officials said the flaring does not pose any threat to the community.
A flare is shown at Shell along 146 in Deer Park in 2017. Shell announced Tuesday the oil and gas company announced that Tuesday’s severe weather events resulted in flaring.
Houston Chronicle StaffThe oil and gas company Shell announced Tuesday afternoon that its chemicals facility located in Deer Park south of Houston was experiencing an incident after a violent tornado passed through the area. In a follow up announcement, Shell confirmed that the incident resulted in the site flaring due to the day’s weather events.
“Due to severe weather and the resulting loss of on-site steam, Shell Chemicals at Deer Park is currently flaring,” Shell tweeted. “There is no threat to the community, nor are there any indications a nearby tornado touched down within the Chemicals facility.” Shell added that it is currently taking steps to minimize any noise, light, or smoke associated with the flaring activity, “though it’s expected to continue until the units are restarted,” the tweet read.
In a video attached to the tweet, Shell officials explained that flaring plays a “key role” in keeping plants safe. “Once flared the hydrocarbon has been safely treated, and potential emissions have been reduced by at least 98 percent.
Pemex, which owns the oil refinery in Deer Park, also reported “operational upsets” that resulted in flaring due to the severe weather events, per a report from Reuters. On social media, local residents shared photos they captured of a burning flame spouting out of a tall, poll-like structure at the facility, sending extensive black smoke into the sky.
After forming near Beltway 8 south of downtown Houston, the destructive twister traveled into Deer Park and Baytown, Texas, leaving behind significant damage to power lines and property in its wake Tuesday afternoon. Among the damages included a tornado-related structure collapse at the San Jacinto Manor nursing home in Deer Park, the Atascocita Fire Department announced Tuesday afternoon. As of this writing, it’s unclear how many or whether there were casualties caused by the tornado. The severe storms continue to batter southeast Texas as they push eastward toward Louisiana.