KUALA BERANG, Sept 21 — A second portable flare will be installed today along Petronas Gas Bhd (PGB) butane pipeline in Section 5 of the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) site near Kemaman to burn off all traces of gas from a leak.
Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad said Petronas managed to install the first portable flare at around 3.30am to begin the gas burn off.
The second unit from Kulim, Kedah, will arrive this evening and will be installed so all remaining gas in the 9.6km pipeline is burned off and the area can be declared safe.
“We expect the burnoff, including the nitrogen purging operation, to take 48 hours for continuous burning to occur and use up all remaining gas in the pipeline, and for restoration work to start,” he said at an event here today, adding that the public should not be worried as the gas leak would not cause an explosion that would endanger nearby residents.
According to him, assessments revealed that the percentage of butane gas in the air within a radius of 400m from the location of the leak was only about 1 per cent, and that the chances of the gas exploding is minimal.
“If we look at the readings, actually it’s safe to work at 400m, but we maintain a safe distance at a radius of 500m to operate to avoid untoward incidents,” Hisham added.
