The Ministry of Energy commented on a recent video footage filmed near Kafrun village of Baysun district in Surkhandarya province, where a gas with an increased content of hydrogen sulfide has been leakin at the 25 Years of Independence (M-25) gas field since September 1. The statement said that gas leaking from the field is being safely fired in order to neutralize it.
On Monday, a video surfaced on social networks showing several burning plots of land of varying sizes - from small to large.
The purpose of the backfiring is "to prevent the emission of acid gases into the atmosphere. This is standard procedure for preventing environmental pollution and complies with international industrial safety requirements," the ministry emphasized.
"The planned conservation and prevention work includes a number of operations, some of which may be perceived differently by the public who do not understand the specifics of these technological processes," the Ministry underscored.
An industrial disaster occurred on September 1, during drilling operations at the Mustakillikning 25 Yilligi (25th Anniversary of Independence) gas field, or M-25.
Gas with a high hydrogen sulfide content began to leak after the accident. Local residents were evacuated. The cleanup operation lasted two weeks. On September 15, the leak was stopped. However, two days later it resumed, killing four people and injuring 11 more.
Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov called the field “complicated” at a briefing on September 18. In early October, he told the Lolazor podcast said that it could take several months to fix the leak.
additional exploration and development of the 25 years of independence field had been managed by the Russian Surhan Gas Chemical Operating Company under the terms of the Production Sharing Agreement.
