The TotalEnergies refinery in Donges (Loire-Atlantique) noticed an oil leak on Saturday evening.
Floating booms were deployed on the Loire to confine the area.
The Loire contaminated by crude oil. The TotalEnergies refinery in Donges detected a leak on Saturday evening, according to the Loire-Atlantique prefecture. The breach was repaired, but floating booms were immediately installed to limit the damage on the river.
All state services were mobilized around 11 p.m. “to coordinate the response to be provided”indicates the prefecture in a press release. “The leak materialized as a 2 cm breach on a weld bead creating a trickle of flow which led to an iridescence of a surface area of approximately 500 m² in the Loire”add the authorities.
“The iridescent waters should partly disperse naturally”
The flow of oil stopped shortly before 4 a.m. If the affected area was able to be isolated by floating booms, an impact on the environment cannot be ruled out. “The iridescent waters should partly disperse naturally and be transferred, by the action of the wind, to the banks”estimates the prefecture, specifying that “new recognitions” had to be carried out “at daybreak to better assess environmental impacts”.
“The measurements carried out by TotalEnergies in the commune of Donges did not detect the presence of volatile organic compounds linked to this event”assure the authorities.
This is not the first time that this Seveso classified site has been faced with such an incident. In December 2022, a leak caused the flow of 700,000 liters of gasoline. Several reports made public in September had pointed to a “acute exposure” to benzene but concentrations in the air maintained “below accidental thresholds”.
