HOUSTON, April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Anadarko
Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) provided the following statement
regarding the tragic home explosion and fire in Firestone, Colo., that occurred on
April 17.
"This terrible tragedy has left all of us with heavy hearts, and
the families and their loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers,"
said Al Walker, Anadarko Chairman,
President and CEO. "Words cannot express how saddened we are that
this occurred in a community where many of our employees, their
families, and friends live and work. We share the community's
gratitude for the courageous response of neighbors and nearby
construction crews who quickly came to the aid of the family, as
well as the first responders and others who made sure surrounding
homes were kept safe."
While there is still much that is not yet known regarding the
potential contributing factors, Anadarko operates an older vertical
well that was drilled by a previous operator in 1993 and is located
approximately 200 feet from where the home was recently built. As
such, the company has been working cooperatively with fire
officials and state regulatory agencies in their investigations
since the time of the accident.
While these events remain under active investigation and much
remains to be determined, in an abundance of caution, since the
company operates more than 3,000 producing vertical wells of the
same vintage, it has taken proactive measures to shut in all
vertical wells across the counties in northeast Colorado where it operates. The wells will
remain shut in until the company's field personnel can conduct
additional inspections and testing of the associated equipment,
such as facilities and underground lines associated with each
wellhead. Particular focus is being placed on areas where housing
and commercial developments are occurring in close proximity to
existing infrastructure. The wells will not be restarted until each
has undergone and passed these additional inspections. Anadarko
currently anticipates the process will take two to four weeks,
depending on weather. The wells currently account for total
production of about 13,000 net barrels of oil equivalent per
day.
"Our teams will remain actively engaged with residents in the
Firestone community," said
Brad Holly, Anadarko Sr. Vice
President, U.S. Onshore Exploration and Production. "Colorado residents must feel safe in their own
homes, and I want to be clear that we are committed to
understanding all that we can about this tragedy as we work with
each investigating agency until causes can be determined."
This news release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Anadarko
believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions.
No assurance, however, can be given that such expectations will
prove to have been correct. A number of factors could cause actual
results to differ materially from the projections, anticipated
results or other expectations expressed in this news release,
including the timing of operational activities and determinations
or other factors related to investigatory efforts. See "Risk
Factors" in the company's 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K,
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other public filings and press
releases. Anadarko undertakes no obligation to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking statements.
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Anadarko Contacts
INVESTORS:
Robin
Fielder, robin.fielder@anadarko.com, 832.636.1462
Jim Grant, james.grant@anadarko.com,
832.636.8320
Pete Zagrzecki,
pete.zagrzecki@anadarko.com, 832.636.7727
MEDIA:
John
Christiansen, john.christiansen@anadarko.com,
832.636.8736
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visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/anadarko-issues-statement-regarding-colorado-operations-300446718.html
SOURCE Anadarko Petroleum Corporation