Gas plant blast cuts off Victoria gas supply

Gas supplies to Australia's Victoria state have been virtually cut off following an explosion and fire at the Longford gas processing plant in eastern Gippsland that processes gas from Bass Strait fields. Some gas is being transported via the new Interconnect pipeline that joins the Moomba-Sydney gas line to the Victoria system. However, this connection, which was opened about 7 weeks ago, is of relatively small diameter and can handle only about 10-15% of total Victorian demand.

Oct. 5, 1998

3 min read

Some gas is being transported via the new Interconnect pipeline that joins the Moomba-Sydney gas line to the Victoria system. However, this connection, which was opened about 7 weeks ago, is of relatively small diameter and can handle only about 10-15% of total Victorian demand.

The only places unaffected are towns such as Portland and Warrnambool in western Victoria that get their gas supplies from onshore fields in the Otway basin.

Esso Australia Ltd., which operates the Longford gas plant, last week said it would be at least a week before gas supplies can be restored, even in part. All industry and domestic gas users were asked to turn off all gas appliances so that the linepack gas can be available for emergency services, such as in hospitals. The Victorian government has invoked emergency powers that carry heavy penalties for those who do not comply.

What happened

Reports of the accident cite a series of fireballs that tore through the Longford plant at 12:30 pm on Sept. 25. Flames rose 50 m into the air, and firefighters could not approach the seat of the problem for the first 12 hr. The last fire was not extinguished until Sept. 27. Two people died in the accident, and a number of others were injured, but the cause of the explosions has not yet been established.

Esso says the problem occurred in the No. 1 gas plant, which has suffered major damage. However, nearby gas plants Nos. 2 and 3 have been left intact, and the company is focusing its attention on sealing off the connections with the damaged plant, so that they can be reopened and the offshore fields brought back on stream as quickly as possible.

LPG is now is short supply in Victoria, and the government has introduced rationing.

The crisis has highlighted the vulnerability of Australia's single-source gas supplies. This is largely a legacy of the states rarely allowing gas to be piped across their borders. In recent years, there have been moves to break these monopolies and encourage interstate trading, but progress has been slow, highlighted by the fact that the Interconnect line between the New South Wales and Victorian grids took 2 years to gain the necessary state and federal government approvals.