More than 80 workers on a platform at the £3bn Seagreen project, located 27km off Scotland’s Angus coastline in the North Sea, had to be moved to another platform after sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) escaped. Energy companies are scrambling to find alternatives to SF6, which is banned in Europe except for its use in power generation, where it is used as an insulating gas in switchgear. The US Environmental Protection Agency considers it the most harmful greenhouse gas and the National Grid describes it as “one of the most powerful greenhouse gases we know of”. It can cause respiratory problems in humans if exposed to high concentrations and is harmful to the environment. Seagreen is a joint venture between SSE and TotalEnergies, with the platform managed by specialist contractor Petrofac. The project will be the largest fixed-bottom wind farm in Scotland when completed and is expected to enter commercial operation in mid-2023. Two workers were checking the equipment when there was a loud noise “like an air pipe disconnecting”. Workers shouted “gas leak” and “abandoned rig,” according to Energy Voice, which first reported the story. The incident happened in June and was brought to light by North Sea trade unionist Jake Molloy, of the RMT. Molloy told Energy Voicet that “the Seagreen incident is an event that was reported to the unions by concerned offshore workers. “But how many are not reported, how is this policed and regulated, what are the reporting procedures? We must know. It has to be properly managed.” Petrofac said only 11kg of insulating gas was released in the incident and that work resumed after 12 hours following standard procedures. Subscribe to Business Today Get ready for the business day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A Petrofac spokesman said: “Standard systems and procedures were activated immediately and access to the site was restricted as a precautionary measure. Although the volume of CO2 equivalent did not meet the threshold for reporting, Petrofac documented and shared all lessons learned with relevant stakeholders, including the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and Marine Scotland.” A spokesman for SSE, which is responsible for the construction phase, said: “At the time of signing the contract for the supply of the transformer switch intended for the Seagreen project, which is under construction, no viable SF6-free alternatives were available , capable of operating at all required voltage levels, which could be considered for development in the project.”
