An explosion was reported at Shell’s ethane cracker in Beaver County Wednesday afternoon. A company spokeswoman stated that smoke was seen coming off of a furnace unit at the plant around 2:20 p.m. She said the incident was managed by site personnel, and the smoke dissipated. The company dispatched a team from an air monitoring company to the site, and state and local agencies have been notified.
A video posted by the group Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community appeared to show smoke coming out of the facility. The group said a worker reported an explosion at the plant via its tipline.
Shell opened the plant in 2022, after receiving a record $ 1.65 billion state tax credit to build it. The plant produces plastic from ethane, a component of natural gas. More recently, the company has discussed selling the plant and other chemical production sites in the past few months.
In 2023, Shell received a $10 million fine from the state Department of Environmental Protection for violating air quality laws.
In a statement, DEP spokesman Neil Shader said Shell notified the agency of a fire at “ethane cracking furnace #5” at the plant. Shader said there was “a possible release of an unknown amount of 1,3-butadiene and benzene” —both hazardous air pollutants and known carcinogens. “DEP expects Shell to calculate the amount of these emissions, if any, and report its findings to DEP,” Shader said.
Shell reported evacuating 15 employees and reported one minor heat-related injury among its employees.
The furnace was not in production at the time of the fire, Shader said. DEP staff dispatched to the scene “did not observe any visible, fugitive, or malodor emissions and DEP’s air monitor did not register any emissions above zero,” Shader said.
A new tool helps Beaver County residents evaluate air quality
