Foul play suspected in fatal China bus explosion (10 June 2013)
A fire on a bus in southeastern China on June 7 has killed 47 people and is being investigated as a “serious criminal case,” state media said. The bus caught fire during rush hour as it was operating on elevated tracks in the coastal city of Xiamen, the official Xinhua news agency reported. A total of 34 people were admitted to hospital.
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Explosion after cargo train derailment in Maryland (29 May 2013)
A cargo train carrying chemicals in the US state of Maryland hit a truck and derailed, causing a blast felt half a mile away on May 28. At least one of the derailed railcars was reportedly carrying hazardous materials. The train derailed near Baltimore and the subsequent fire sent a thick plume of dark smoke from the wreckage.
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Utility pays $200K for Pennsylvania pipeline blast (13 May 2013)
The Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era reports that utility UGI has agreed to pay a $200,000 civil penalty to the state Public Utility Commission for a central Pennsylvania explosion caused when a contractor hit one of its underground natural gas lines, which was not properly marked.
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Three injured in Alabama fuel barge explosion (25 April 2013)
Late April 24 a number of explosions destroyed fuel barges on the east side of Mobile River near Mobile, Alabama, injuring three. The fuel barges were at Oil Recovery Co. of Alabama's Marine Gas Free Facility. The Coast Guard has placed a safety zone around the site, closing the ship channel and restricting overflights.
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Arkansas pipeline leak worse than originally thought (16 April 2013)
An Arkansas state attorney general has announced that the ExxonMobil pipeline rupture that has leaked thousands of barrels of oil at Mayflower, central Arkansas, is “substantially larger” than initially believed, but that the size of the leak is still unknown. Some 22 evacuated residents have yet to be told when they can return to their homes.
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Fat-fuelled power station to run UK’s biggest sewage works (09 April 2013)
Fat and oil from restaurants and build-ups in drains will soon provide fuel for the world's largest fat-fuelled power station at Beckton in East London
. The plant, developed and run by 2OC and financed by a consortium led by iCON Infrastructure, is set to produce 130 Gigawatt hours (GWh) a year of renewable electricity - enough to run 39,000 average-sized homes. read more...
Exxon oil pipeline leak causes extensive pollution in Arkansas town (02 April 2013)
Exxon's Pegasus pipeline, which has a 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity of crude oil, was shut after the leak was discovered on March 29 near the town of Mayflower. The leak forced the evacuation of 22 homes. The pipeline was built in the 1940s and carries Canadian Wabasca heavy crude between Patoka, Illinois and Nederland, Texas.
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Pakistan gas pipeline attack (02 April 2013)
A 22-inch diameter gas pipeline was attacked with explosives on April 1 in the Malguzar area of Balochistan province, suspending the gas supply to Karachi. According to a Sui Northern Gas Supply Company spokesman, there was a shortfall of 190 million cubic feet in the system after the incident.
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Chevron pipeline oil spill is third major leak in Utah in three years (26 March 2013)
Chevron’s third pipeline spill in Utah in as many years on March 25 released hundreds of barrels of oil, polluting a river and leading to the closure of a state park and the evacuation of campers. Dozens of cleanup workers are now mopping up the fuel along the north-eastern edge of the Great Salt Lake in an attempt to avert a wildlife disaster.
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Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline could trigger US sanctions (22 March 2013)
Iran and Pakistan have celebrated the start of construction of the Pakistani leg of a $7.5 billion, 1,900km gas pipeline, which aims to supply Pakistan with natural gas to fuel power generation, but it could also trigger US sanctions, making it impossible to raise remaining funds needed to build the pipeline's last segment.
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