(Photo and video by Curtis Walsh)

Story by Beaver County Radio Staff
(Potter Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) If you saw all the black smoke coming form the Shell Cracker Plant in Potter Sunday afternoon you’re not alone. In a post on the Beaver County Radio Facebook page showing a video of the incident many residents showed reason for concern.

Shell released a statement on their Facebook page. “The company stated that at approximately 12:08 PM Sunday, a process compressor shut down resulting in flaring of hydrocarbon material in a controlled manner. The flaring lasted about 15 to 20 minutes, initially with smoke, as actions were taken to minimize and eliminate the smoke as soon as possible the company said. Shell said the operations are stable and they’re working to determine the cause of the interruption. They apologized for the inconvenience and said they appreciate everyone’s understanding.”
According to the post the company said that flares are important environmental controls and safety devices used in refineries and petrochemical processing plants. They are utilized as a safe way to burn hydrocarbon gases, as an alternative to releasing the gases directly into the atmosphere.