Power fault blamed for Fawley flares (From Daily Echo)

Ted, Southampton says...
9:03am Thu 13 Sep 07

There seems to be a growing amount of incidents at Fawley recently which must be causing some concern. It appears that they are throwing everything into making money rather than servicing equipment or maintaining safety. The noise and rumble leading upto the flares was deafening, as was the alarms and sirens going off late into the night.

This may have been a 'small scale' incident however I suggest that Echo gets it's best investigative journalist onto the case so that the public in and around Southampton and the New Forest learn the truth in the increase of incidents.

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hmm, says...
9:20am Thu 13 Sep 07

i love it when people moan about fawley, if you dont like it i suggest you dont buy a house nearby

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Helen, Southampton says...
9:24am Thu 13 Sep 07

There was a dip in power about 8.45, then a few minutes later it sounded like an aeroplane had crashed. In all my living years in the Waterside I have never heard a noise quite like it! It was making the floor tremble. Then all the alarms went off, and the sky lit up with the flares. Bless them, they are not having a good time of it of late.

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fawley-hater, New forest says...
9:26am Thu 13 Sep 07

Dearest "hmm". If Fawley blows then all of us will be affected by the fallout, not just those living next door to the site. Remember Buncefield - it's happened before and who says it won't happen again.
What concerns me is that Esso claim it was "flares" - I thought flares were like fireworks, these looked more like flames. I agree with Ted, the Echo needs to do some digging and find out exactly what Esso are up to on the site.

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alex gilmour, hythe says...
9:33am Thu 13 Sep 07

last night i came back from cadets and saw a load of light come from behind a house and sirens going off and i told my dad and hes said a large fire is happening. i could see flames coming behind a house so i rung up my freiend carl birks which he lives right next to esso. the sirens were going off all night and keeping me awake. and out side there was a very strong smell of bernt fule.

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carl birks, netly view estate fawley says...
9:35am Thu 13 Sep 07

last night i came back from cadets with my freind alex gilmour. I was in my house and i herd sirens going off i new it was esso so i went to the edge of the estate where there is a good view of the refinary and i saw lots of smoke and flames on top of the flare towers that did not look normal and looked like they were burning out of control the sky was lit up by the flames. there was also a very strong smell of burning fuel that is not usualy there.

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Helen, Southampton says...
9:51am Thu 13 Sep 07

Helen wrote:
There was a dip in power about 8.45, then a few minutes later it sounded like an aeroplane had crashed. In all my living years in the Waterside I have never heard a noise quite like it! It was making the floor tremble. Then all the alarms went off, and the sky lit up with the flares. Bless them, they are not having a good time of it of late.

There are four flares in Esso, these are used when excess gases are needed to be released. When going full pelt, it does look like that the refinery is on fire. Apparently there is one flare down at the moment too, so the burning looked much more as it was condensed into 3 flares.

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Ted, Southampton says...
9:53am Thu 13 Sep 07

hmm wrote:

i love it when people moan about fawley, if you dont like it i suggest you dont buy a house nearby

In reply to hmmm, I haven't got a problem living anywhere near Fawley buy I have got a problem with a rather large explosion taking out my home and family. These oil refineries are supposed to be safe otherwise they wouldn't put homes, schools and shops so close by.

I take it the Echo will bottle out investigating as it seems they tend to play down safety concerns when it comes to big boys around Southampton, ie Esso and the docks. Go on Echo, have some balls for a change and lets see something different from 'man bites dog'!

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peter, new forest says...
9:57am Thu 13 Sep 07

has anyone got any marshmallows

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hmm, says...
9:59am Thu 13 Sep 07

so you were concerned but you still moved in? No one but yourself to blame!

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Hmmm nonsense, says...
10:16am Thu 13 Sep 07

Hmmm, when Esso blows up and kills many people due to the fact they have been cutting safety corners, at least you'll be safe in your ivory tower.

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Helen, Southampton says...
10:25am Thu 13 Sep 07

Trouble was the school at Hardley was there before the refinery. When they started extending the school, the refinery was still relatively in its early stages (60's/70's). I have lived here all my life, and can't complain about it one bit, its provided life long work for members of my family, and if Esso hadn't had built there, then the other plants on Charlton Industrial Estate probably wouldn't have done either.

We do have a right to know the truth though, and as per usual its always dumbed down. That noise last night was not normal!! Nearly made me spill my G&T!

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Adrian Smith, Southampton says...
10:43am Thu 13 Sep 07

Ted wrote:

hmm wrote:
i love it when people moan about fawley, if you dont like it i suggest you dont buy a house nearby

In reply to hmmm, I haven't got a problem living anywhere near Fawley buy I have got a problem with a rather large explosion taking out my home and family. These oil refineries are supposed to be safe otherwise they wouldn't put homes, schools and shops so close by. I take it the Echo will bottle out investigating as it seems they tend to play down safety concerns when it comes to big boys around Southampton, ie Esso and the docks. Go on Echo, have some balls for a change and lets see something different from 'man bites dog'!

I think you make an important point about the Echo reporting (I expect this post to be censored like others recently made).

The Echo seems incapable of tackling these issues and doing any investigative reporting. Is its advertising revenue directly tied into this decision? Esso, ABP, BAA, SCC, etc. come to mind.

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Ted, Southampton says...
10:44am Thu 13 Sep 07

Helen wrote:
Trouble was the school at Hardley was there before the refinery. When they started extending the school, the refinery was still relatively in its early stages (60's/70's). I have lived here all my life, and can't complain about it one bit, its provided life long work for members of my family, and if Esso hadn't had built there, then the other plants on Charlton Industrial Estate probably wouldn't have done either. We do have a right to know the truth though, and as per usual its always dumbed down. That noise last night was not normal!! Nearly made me spill my G&T!

Exactly right, well said. I think hmmm is basically trying to inflame, etc but when you look at the potential danger from Fawley it doesn't matter whether you live 2 minutes down the road or in Southampton.

As for knowing the dangers when I moved in, that's just a tad simplistic plus I've always had faith in the safety record of Fawley etc but looking at the increase in recent events it seems that they are putting money over safety amd servicing.

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Andy, Locks Heath says...
10:54am Thu 13 Sep 07

fawley-hater wrote:
Dearest "hmm". If Fawley blows then all of us will be affected by the fallout, not just those living next door to the site. Remember Buncefield - it's happened before and who says it won't happen again.
What concerns me is that Esso claim it was "flares" - I thought flares were like fireworks, these looked more like flames. I agree with Ted, the Echo needs to do some digging and find out exactly what Esso are up to on the site.

Good to see the Waterside NIMBYs put in an appearance - the refinery has been around since the 1930s and in that time has provided jobs and welbeing for thousands of workers and their dependents. The whole Waterside economy has ben nurtured and sustained by Esso. Buncefield could happen at Fawley given massive negligence, but even at Buncefield with its lower safety provisions, not one person was even injured, so would you trade in 80 years of welbeing? As a NIMBY of course I guess your answer would be yes. Anyway, good to see the old COnspiracy theory mentality dragged out for an airing. What are Esso up to, you ask, like it's a big secret? Answer - They are refining Crude Oil, stupid like they have always done, and with one of the best safety records of any comparable plant anywhere in the world. You should count yourself lucky.

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rosie, nearby says...
10:54am Thu 13 Sep 07

Does anybody know what parts of the refinery were affected by the power failure? And has the refinery stopped operating as a result of the incident?

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John, Romsey says...
11:13am Thu 13 Sep 07

The Refinery,a complex facilty, has a superb safety record.Any event there appears to trigger the same bile driven,technically ignorant and illiterate comments.Why is this?

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rosie, nearby says...
11:26am Thu 13 Sep 07

John, I could use your technical knowledge of the refinery. What units have been affected by the incident, and when will they come back online?

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Len Viaduct, says...
11:39am Thu 13 Sep 07

It was worse in the War - you knew who your enemy was in those days.
These days people eat too much, causing excess methane build-up. Are we sure this is not what happened in Fawley?
To my mind there are a too many obese people exhausting gases on the Waterside.

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Safety Pin, says...
11:50am Thu 13 Sep 07

What esso are doing, is having an increase in "Minor incidents" over the past two years as a result of an investment cut-back on some parts of the refinery which are over 40 years old.

They are very good at playing a straight bat to the press and locals, but within the refinery itself and amongst contractors who work there, there is increasing unease at safety standards and massaging of statistics.

Is it any co-incidence there is a change in refinery manager taking place?

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Ted, Southampton says...
11:50am Thu 13 Sep 07

I'm not a nimby, have no problems with the refinery being down the road but am concerned at the growing amount of incidents, those that are reported and those that don't make the local press. Am I wrong to be concerned with the increasing amount of incidents? I'm sure there is no conspirancy however why not provide the public with more information so that they aren't technically ignorant? I'm too old to listen to some of the pr about we have excellent safety records, etc without knowing all the facts. Could you enlighten us John?

On a side issue, I do agree the obseity is a problem on the Waterside, could this be related?

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Mike, Fawley says...
12:22pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Helen wrote:

Helen wrote: There was a dip in power about 8.45, then a few minutes later it sounded like an aeroplane had crashed. In all my living years in the Waterside I have never heard a noise quite like it! It was making the floor tremble. Then all the alarms went off, and the sky lit up with the flares. Bless them, they are not having a good time of it of late.
There are four flares in Esso, these are used when excess gases are needed to be released. When going full pelt, it does look like that the refinery is on fire. Apparently there is one flare down at the moment too, so the burning looked much more as it was condensed into 3 flares.

Well, after hearing the alarms, seeing the flames and the smoke, I thought I would investigate. I drove to Gang Wirily where with an excellent view I saw PURE WHITE FLAMES extruding from what appeared to be a damaged stack. Very few materials burn white - Please let us know what on this site burns white!!! I believe the stack to be damaged as the flames were extruding from half way up the pipe, not from the top!!!
This was not a minor incident, sorry but I am not willing to listen to that insane rubbish. And I do agree that The Southern Daily Echo should be reporting on even the companies that supports it financially!!!

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Alexis Smitinov, Cynobal says...
12:25pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Be careful, i have 4 arms.

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Natascha, Holbury, Southampton says...
1:04pm Thu 13 Sep 07

To all the people who have nothing better to do than moan about something they have no idea about, You choose to live in fawley, holbury and the surrounding areas, I myself live in holbury and i can confirm that the flames where not white but infact orange and where coming from the flares, there is no damage to any of the flares either! My husband works for esso and was on shift last night when the incident happened everything that is being said by people who have no idea about the matter is total rubbish. Esso have, and did deal with problem quickly and safely. So just remeber, Esso and the other supporting companies provide jobs for alot of people so please get your facts right before you judge!

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rosie, nearby says...
1:11pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Mike, which stack appeared to be extruding white flames? Was it the Cat Cracker unit for instance?

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Helen, Southampton says...
1:25pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Natascha wrote:
To all the people who have nothing better to do than moan about something they have no idea about, You choose to live in fawley, holbury and the surrounding areas, I myself live in holbury and i can confirm that the flames where not white but infact orange and where coming from the flares, there is no damage to any of the flares either! My husband works for esso and was on shift last night when the incident happened everything that is being said by people who have no idea about the matter is total rubbish. Esso have, and did deal with problem quickly and safely. So just remeber, Esso and the other supporting companies provide jobs for alot of people so please get your facts right before you judge!

I didn't choose to live here at all, and as I have said before I have no complaints to make about Esso. I know the orange glow in the sky was from the flares.

But you can not deny the loudness of the roar would make people concerned. It sounded like a helicopter was right over my house. Everyone had a dip in power just before the roar and then there was the various alarms going off.

This isn't about where choosing to live, residents of the Waterside just want the truth, otherwise its rumour mills like this that gets the story warped and out of shape. Trouble is when Esso do release a statement its only treated as being half the truth as most the blokes that work in there tell you something different.

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Helen, Southampton says...
1:27pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Natascha wrote:
To all the people who have nothing better to do than moan about something they have no idea about, You choose to live in fawley, holbury and the surrounding areas, I myself live in holbury and i can confirm that the flames where not white but infact orange and where coming from the flares, there is no damage to any of the flares either! My husband works for esso and was on shift last night when the incident happened everything that is being said by people who have no idea about the matter is total rubbish. Esso have, and did deal with problem quickly and safely. So just remeber, Esso and the other supporting companies provide jobs for alot of people so please get your facts right before you judge!

I didn't choose to live here at all, and as I have said before I have no beef with Esso being there. I know the orange glow in the sky was from the flares.

But you can not deny the loudness of the roar would make people concerned. It sounded like a helicopter was right over my house. Everyone had a dip in power just before the roar and then there was the various alarms going off.

This isn't about where choosing to live, residents of the Waterside just want the truth, otherwise its rumour mills like this that gets the story warped and out of shape. Trouble is when Esso do release a statement its only treated as being half the truth as most the blokes that work in there tell you something different.

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Ted, Southampton says...
1:44pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Helen has got a point and I think that Natascha is jumping to conclusions quite quickly without looking at the full facts. The issue of whether you choose to live there or not is irrelevant however the issue of the increase in incidents within Esso is relevant. I dont tend to judge situations without knowing the full facts however there is no doubting that there has been an increase in incidents recently, both employees and contractors in the refinery have raised their concerns on safety, albeit quietly so as not to feel the wrath of one of the most powerful and rich companies within the world.

It may be the case that there is nothing to worry about however I think an independent investigation should be carried out so we can see that for ourselves. Im sure Esso are not being arrogant by quickly dismissing the fears of both local Waterside residents and those across the water from the refinery but that said there is potential there for another Buncefield and it would be in the best interests of Esso to have the confidence of the local population. I just doubt the Echo has the balls to investigate.

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Jeff, southampton says...
3:13pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Apparently they've still got problems with their power supply, so the refinery isn't working at the moment anyway. That means you can all stop worrying for the time being. I reckon the refinery will shut down soon anyway cause of all the problems they've had recently. The place is over 50 years old after all, and everything keeps on breaking down!

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Facinated by Fawley, Local says...
4:42pm Thu 13 Sep 07

fawley-hater wrote:
Dearest "hmm". If Fawley blows then all of us will be affected by the fallout, not just those living next door to the site. Remember Buncefield - it's happened before and who says it won't happen again.
What concerns me is that Esso claim it was "flares" - I thought flares were like fireworks, these looked more like flames. I agree with Ted, the Echo needs to do some digging and find out exactly what Esso are up to on the site.

The flares are there to burn off product when it needs to be got rid of safely and in a hurry - they are there to PREVENT gases etc. being released where they could cause an explosion. Why is it that people are so alarmist about the flares?! Just be grateful they are there!

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Pepe, Totton says...
5:33pm Thu 13 Sep 07

I work in Fawley refinery, and I was working last night. I'm therefore more qualified to comment than most of you that already have. Yes, there was a power failure. Yes, there was flaring and some noise. Yes one of the flares was light coloured for a while Mike, due to low calorific value gas being flared. There were no injuries, uncontrolled fires, damaged stacks/flares, or alarms sounding all night. Stop moaning, move elsewhwhere if you are concerned. I wouldn't put myself or my family at risk by working there if I was.

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rosie, nearby says...
5:54pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Pepe, I am curious to know what areas of the refinery were affected by the power outage, and are any of them still offline?

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Anon, Dibden Purlieu says...
6:15pm Thu 13 Sep 07

rosie wrote:
Pepe, I am curious to know what areas of the refinery were affected by the power outage, and are any of them still offline?

Do you think Rosie knows what 'Fawley North' is?

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lee england, lincolnshire says...
6:16pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Flare Stacks are used to burn off excess gas in a shutdown and is basically a large tower with an ignitor at the top, where as vent stacks vent the gas off unburnt.
The stacks are there to get rid of the pressurised process quickly and the flame is high enough out of the way to prevent igniting other parts of the plant.

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Katinas, says...
9:23pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Will you lot put a sock in it, your boring! It's over now, get on with your lives if you have one!

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Theriault, nearby says...
9:46pm Thu 13 Sep 07

I am a collegue of Pepe, and have been working at the refinery today.What he says is true. There has been an electrical problem, its fixed now though, so the place will be starting back up over the next 24hrs. I would not work there if I didnt think its was safe. Waterside would be even more of a remote backwater than it is if Esso wasn't there !!

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HB, Dibden says...
10:03pm Thu 13 Sep 07

I would be interested to understand where those that are saying Esso is cutting costs and taking safety risks have got their information from. Unless they directly work there and have the facts at hand I suggest that they do not jump to conclusions.
If you can find a journalist that will report facts and not just conjecture then by all means demand an investigation however making slanderous allegations on this site will not result in anyone obtaining answers and only increase mass hysteria.

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Derek, Dibden Purlieu says...
10:15pm Thu 13 Sep 07

its fixed now though, so the place will be starting back up over the next 24hrs.

Much O/T on offer is there, especially for those of us on our 18 day break?

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Sensible, Soton says...
10:47pm Thu 13 Sep 07

fawley-hater wrote:
Dearest \"hmm\". If Fawley blows then all of us will be affected by the fallout, not just those living next door to the site. Remember Buncefield - it\'s happened before and who says it won\'t happen again. What concerns me is that Esso claim it was \"flares\" - I thought flares were like fireworks, these looked more like flames. I agree with Ted, the Echo needs to do some digging and find out exactly what Esso are up to on the site.

Please see the website below for definition of Flares in the refinery sense. http://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Gas_flare
A firework type flare is what is used for attracting attention in emergencies, not on a refinery. The flare system is there to protect workers, equipment and local residents if the plant needs to shutdown quickly and in my eyes it did just that. People may have been temporarily inconvenienced by the noise and brightness but like you pointed out it could have been another Buncefield. It wasn't, and this is because Esso trys its best to be prepared for unexpected events like this.

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Groovy dancer, The Disco says...
11:07pm Thu 13 Sep 07

I thought flares were trousers you wore when making shapes on the dance floor. Why were Esso shooting trousers up into the sky. This seems such a waste of groovy clothing. Consequently I think we should petition for the Refinery to be shut down - such an irresponsible attitude to fashion is criminal!

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Dave, Holbury says...
11:14pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Yeah! I agree with Groovy Dancer - we should flatten Fawley Refinery and replace it with one huge roller-disco with flashing lights and groovy tunes. That way we can make sure the evil Esso don't waste any more flares. Do you want to join my petition: Bring back flares to Fawley and make the world a better place!

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Matthew, Fawley says...
10:35am Fri 14 Sep 07

So is the refinery still without power? Or has production begun again?

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soton-john, dibden says...
1:41pm Fri 14 Sep 07

gosh, is the refinery totally down again?!!!! My friend tells me the crude ships are sitting off I.O.W as cannot discharge at refinery!

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Steve, says...
8:32am Sat 15 Sep 07

Has the problem not been fixed properly yet? One or two flares were burning last night, clearly visible from Portsdown Hill and Stubbington. I can't say I've noticed the flares from these locations before.

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John, Gosport says...
12:00am Mon 18 Feb 08

Have you worked for Katinas or his side kick Theriault at Fawley? There gone but talking safety first and caring only about production is there battle cry all over the world.

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