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Forties pipeline shutdown 'worth £20m a day' | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The shutdown of one of the UK's most important oil pipelines is worth about £20m a day, the industry body has said. | |
The Forties pipeline carries crude North Sea oil across land for processing at Grangemouth. | The Forties pipeline carries crude North Sea oil across land for processing at Grangemouth. |
The crack was discovered last week near Netherley in Aberdeenshire and a 300m safety cordon is in place. | |
Deirdre Michie, chief executive of Oil and Gas UK, said: "We hope this can be resolved safely and as quickly as possible." | |
She said: "We have been in touch with Ineos and are closely monitoring the situation. | |
"The shutting down of the Forties pipeline does cause significant issues for our industry, financially, operationally and commercially - 40% of oil production is now shut in and the resulting lost production is worth around £20m per day at current oil prices to industry." | |
Operator Ineos said the pipeline was expected to be shut down for "weeks rather than days". | |
'Minimise impact' | |
Ineos apologised to "our customers and communities". | |
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Lib Dem MSP Mike Rumbles said people in Aberdeenshire were worried about the risk of further "undetected" cracks in the Forties pipeline. | Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Lib Dem MSP Mike Rumbles said people in Aberdeenshire were worried about the risk of further "undetected" cracks in the Forties pipeline. |
Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said the Scottish government would be "seeking information from Ineos" in order to reassure people. | Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said the Scottish government would be "seeking information from Ineos" in order to reassure people. |
A controlled shutdown of the pipeline was completed overnight. | A controlled shutdown of the pipeline was completed overnight. |
More than 80 platforms are having to suspend production. | More than 80 platforms are having to suspend production. |
Ineos said in a statement on Tuesday: "It is too soon to say how quickly the repair will take at this point but it is expected to be a matter of weeks rather than days. | Ineos said in a statement on Tuesday: "It is too soon to say how quickly the repair will take at this point but it is expected to be a matter of weeks rather than days. |
"We are working closely with government and other stakeholders to minimise the impact of the closure as far as possible on communities, our customers and the country." | "We are working closely with government and other stakeholders to minimise the impact of the closure as far as possible on communities, our customers and the country." |