Clyde refinery flare worries residents

Clyde refinery flare worries residents

By Norm Dixon

@box intro = SYDNEY — Residents living near the Shell oil refinery in Clyde, in Sydney's west, are sceptical about management claims that a much larger, brighter and noxious than usual gas flare on April 10 represented "no safety risk to residents at any time".

Residents were awakened in the morning by the sounding of the refinery alarm. Residents of the Clyde-Auburn area live in fear of a major disaster at the large refinery, positioned at virtually the dead centre of Sydney's metropolitan area.

The area has the highest levels of air pollution in Sydney, due in no small part to the giant flare that burns day and night at the refinery.

Shell says the alarm was triggered by the failure of a pipe in the catalytic cracking unit, which caused a "small" fire. This was put out by staff "in 10 minutes".

"Excess gas in the system was sent to the flare to be safely burnt", refinery manager Denys Goggin said. Shell conceded there were greater levels of "associated smoke" during the incident.

People living as far away as Carlingford, five kilometres from the complex, report suffering sore eyes and throats as a result of the gas burn-off and being worried by the huge size of the flare, clearly visible from theirs homes.

The Environmental Protection Authority is investigating the incident.

From GLW issue 271