WEYMOUTH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The energy company Enbridge announced on Thursday that it will not go through with a planned start of operations at it's Weymouth-based natural gas compressor station.
The move comes after two emergency shutdowns in the past few weeks, and calls from local politicians to shut the station down.
"Following the activation of the Emergency Shutdown (ESD) System at the Weymouth Compressor Station on Sept. 30, 2020, we have decided to temporarily pause the commencement of operations of the station to ensure we can complete a thorough review and be certain the facility is fully ready for service before proceeding," the company said in a statement. "Safety will always be our top priority."
Protesters and local groups have opposed the station since it's inception, arguing that thousands of South Shore residents could be in serious danger if something went wrong on site.
In the most recent emergency shutdown on Wednesday, the station released natural gas into the neighborhood, which Congressman Stephen Lynch said is "highly volatile."
It was the second incident at the station in recent weeks, following a gasket failure on Sept. 11 that released up to 265,000 cubic feet of natural gas, according to State House News Service.
"The reason that they had to release the natural gas into the neighborhood is because it was building up inside the facility," Lynch said. "Certainly there's a public safety risk."
Lynch added that an investigation has been opened on Wednesday's shutdown, but the station has not yet provided information on how much gas was released into the area.
"The community has lost trust and lost faith with the company," Lynch said. "They just don't believe they can operate this facility safely."
The Democratic representative said that both Senator Ed Markey and Senator Elizabeth Warren have joined him in calling for a revocation of the station's license, and a suspension of operations at the facility.
A group of protesters plan to demonstrate outside the station on Thursday afternoon at around 3:30 p.m.
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