ALMATY, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Gas from equipment at Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field was diverted and burned through a flare operated by a gas processing plant to reduce pressure, Kazinform reported Thursday citing regional authorities.
Yerlan Yessenov, deputy head of the ecology department of the Atyrau region, said that the operation was made in order to ensure industrial safety and was in accordance with technical regulations, after a fire broke out at the oil field on Jan. 18.
As of 9 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Jan. 19, hydrogen sulfide concentrations in the air exceeded permissible levels by 2.1 times, while carbon monoxide levels were 1.7 times higher than the norm.
Environmental authorities have not yet begun inspection activities, and at this stage it remains unclear whether the presence of people at the plant site is fully safe.
Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said a special commission has been established to determine all the circumstances of the incident and is currently working at the Tengiz field.
On the morning of Jan. 18, a fire broke out involving two transformers at the Tengiz oil field in western Kazakhstan with no casualties reported. The fire affected parts of the power distribution system at production facilities, leading to a suspension of oil production at the Tengiz and Korolev fields. ■
