A further investigation into the gas blast which hit the UK Rough storage platform on 16 February indicates that a “catastrophic” failure in one the platform’s four glycol cooler units was responsible.

“Centrica Storage’s current understanding, based on the information available to us at this time, is that there appears to have been a catastrophic failure of a cooler unit situated on one of the four glycol dehydration units,” platform operator Centrica Storage Limited, has stated.

Although power has been restored to the installation, and other systems restored to allow a build up to full 24-hour manning, Centrica says the Rough Bravo installation will be out of action for both injection and production of gas at least until 1 May.

Centrica is concentrating on platform repairs and re-engineering offshore processing facilities to bypass the damaged equipment to allow resumption of normal safe operations at the storage facility.

Meanwhile some of the damaged equipment on the platform is to be sent for forensic analysis to help determine the cause of the gas explosion and related fire which resulted in the emergency shutdown and evacuation of the facility.