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A Texas-based employee of a contractor working on a pipeline supporting the ongoing Delfin Floating LNG Export Terminal project in southwest Louisiana has filed a lawsuit in Harris County District Court in Houston against the project owner and affiliated companies, alleging that unsafe conditions led to a line explosion on Feb. 3 that caused him “catastrophic personal injury.”
The Feb. 10 lawsuit seeks more than $1 million in damages for medical care, pain and suffering, physical impairment, disfigurement and lost earnings, along with exemplary damages for alleged conscious disregard for the safety of workers at owner Delfin Midstream’s planned $4.3 billion project in its first phase. The lawsuit calls for the case to be heard by a jury.
According to the filing, plaintiff Laman Gutiérrez worked for EnerMech, an engineering and technical services company, on the 28-mile legacy pipeline in Cameron Parish, La. The line was being cleaned and inspected with a pig launcher in preparation for future service at the Delfin LNG project. Gutierrez was sitting at his vehicle’s control gauges when the pipeline ruptured “suddenly and without warning,” causing at least two explosions that engulfed the truck in flames and caused “catastrophic personal injury.”
The 16-page filing states that “the defendants failed to ensure that the pipeline was free of flammable vapors and materials and was otherwise safe for [Gutierrez] to carry out his work”.
The lawsuit names several companies affiliated with Delfin Midstream and pipeline developer Genesis Energy as defendants. Gutiérrez alleges the companies owned, operated or controlled the pipeline and failed to ensure it was free of flammable vapors or other hazards, citing failures to recognize hazards, maintain equipment, train, supervise and enforce safety procedures.
ENR has reached out to Delfin for comment and has not received a response.
Additional details from E&E News show that a corrective action order issued last week by the U.S. Hazardous Materials and Pipeline Safety Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said the line failure “appears to be the cleaning pig affecting a closed valve.”
The rupture released about 56 million cubic feet of natural gas, which ignited and burned for several hours, ejecting 4 to 5 feet of pipe and producing a fire 50 to 80 feet wide, according to the warrant. PHMSA has required Delfin to submit a plan and schedule of inspections to determine the full extent of the damage. The agency’s investigation remains ongoing, a spokesman told the online publication.
Environmental groups have also cited the incident as evidence of the risks posed by aging fossil fuel infrastructure, according to comments reported by E&E News.
The project should be able to produce up to 13.2 million tons of LNG per year when fully completed, Delfin said earlier, also indicating the intention to complete a final investment decision in the coming months.
