Sunday night sirens at Shell cracker plant ‘false alarm’; facility ‘down for maintenance’
POTTER TWP. — A sitewide emergency siren heard at Shell’s ethane cracker plant last Sunday night was activated inadvertently, state regulators said Tuesday.
A crew member at the facility accidentally pushed an alarm button during maintenance activities, according to Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, triggering the siren that rattled a number of nearby residents.
Shell’s emergency response team “responded to the false alarm out of an abundance of caution,” said DEP spokeswoman Lauren Fraley.
“DEP has been in communication with Shell, and can confirm there was no environmental incident at the facility,” Fraley said. “Additionally, DEP’s Air Quality Program staff worked with an individual on site to visually monitor the plant and confirm the sirens heard by residents were a false alarm.”
Skyler Brimmeier, of Vanport Township, said he heard the alarm from inside his home Sunday evening and went outside to investigate. Having received no notification of any planned alarm testing, he scoured social media for information and reported the event to DEP. The alarm lasted “for about 30 minutes,” Brimmeier said.
“You could hear it loud and clear,” he said. “There was an automated female voice saying something repeatedly, but we couldn't discern it." Brimmeier reported “a strong odor ... like acrid, concentrated exhaust,” about an hour before the alarm started, but it’s unclear if that scent was related to maintenance activities at the plant.
“The Shell site is not currently in production and has been down for maintenance since October,” Fraley said. “DEP will continue to monitor the Shell plant to ensure public safety in the region.”
The multi-billion-dollar petrochemical complex, which converts natural gas into polyethylene used in plastics manufacturing, went online this time last year after five years of construction and a decade of publicity.
Plant startup: Shell begins cracker plant operations in Beaver County
Shell in May signed a consent order and agreement with Pennsylvania’s DEP to resolve months of pollution exceedances, paying nearly $10 million for repeated air permit violations during startup and early operations. The company paid a $4.9 million civil penalty to the DEP and another $5 million to establish a mitigation fund for Beaver County projects benefiting the “environment, health and quality of life” of those living near the petrochemical complex.
More: Panel sets criteria for $5 million Shell mitigation fund in Beaver County
The company previously halted production earlier this year for repairs and maintenance.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Sunday night sirens at Shell cracker plant ‘false alarm’; facility ‘down for maintenance’
