NEONOW FILE PHOTO
Construction of a new $69 million replacement facility for a Northwest Pipeline plant damaged in a March fire is under way at Plymouth, Wash., and is slated to be completed late next year.
An assessment found damage at the company’s Plymouth facility from an explosion on March 31 to piping, yard valves, one of the facility’s two 1.2-Bcf storage tanks, and several of the site’s structures, including the control room and mechanic shop.
The fire at the Northwest Pipeline facility in Plymouth, Wash., began when a liquefied natural gas pipe ruptured at the plant causing an explosion. A piece of shrapnel from the pipe then ruptured a 14.6-million-gallon storage tank causing a leak of liquefied natural gas. Several company employees were injured and about 1,000 residents were evacuated after the explosion.
The replacement facility will be built in three phases and will include repairing some of the damaged equipment and infrastructure, according to a filing Northwest made in July.
