Williams Partners has started evaluating the amount of damage caused at its olefins plant located in Geismar, in the US state of Louisiana, following an explosion and fire at the facility on 13 June 2013.
The company is also planning development and repair works at the plant, and undertake a previously planned plant maintenance turnaround and complete a £600m per year expansion of the olefins operation.
Williams Partners is cooperating with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the US Chemical Safety Board for their investigations to find the cause of the incident.
The plant will remain closed and the expansion work is temporarily suspended.
Based on the initial observations it was noted that the explosion originated in the propylene fractionator area of the plant, the piping, heat exchangers and reboilers near the propylene fractionator are heavily damaged and are likely to be replaced.
Parts of electrical cable trays in the elevated portions of a pipe rack adjacent to the propylene fractionator tower are damaged and will have be replaced.
In addition, almost 50ft section of the plant pipe rack containing portions of the plant steam system, pipeline ethane feed vaporization systems, and fuel-gas conditioning equipment will have to be changed.