Page 50 - FINAL Phillips 66 50 Year Book
P. 50
It was a huge and lengthy undertaking. While construction work
continued, in March 1983 a local ombudsman’s investigation into
residents’ complaints was rejected and the scheme was given the
official all-clear by the Health and Safety Executive. Meanwhile,
engineers completed drilling two shafts to a depth of 620ft - roughly
equivalent to the height of the towers of the Humber Bridge, the area’s
tallest landmark.
Under our feet, a warren of tunnels were being created, and the main
chamber resembled a London Underground station. The caverns -
which could feasibly last forever, as LPG is non-corrosive - were taking
shape. They were being connected by pipeline to Conoco, and ABP built
a new £5 million 450-metre jetty, mainly for tankers carrying North Sea
LPG for the caverns from the Sullom Voe and Flotta fields.
And in June 1984, a unique event occurred. Dressed in wellies, hard
hats and dinner jackets – complete with black ties, of course – a six-
course dinner was held in one of the seven excavated caverns. Under
a gazebo to protect them from dripping water and in gentle candlelight,
Calor Gas’s project director Derek Edminson and guests wined and
dined more than 600ft below ground in the biggest man-made cavern
Above: Inspection of the caverns taking shape. in the world, their hard hats coloured black to match their jackets.
Right: Mechanical mole continues boring work.
