Spain's says offshore plant linked to quakes to stay closed

Published May 23, 2017

Spain's Energy Ministry says it will not reopen a large offshore gas storage plant that was shut down in 2013 following minor earthquakes in the area.

A ministry statement issued Wednesday said a study carried out by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University concluded that a fault line close to Spain's eastern coast had been put under stress because of gas being pumped into the facility. The U.S. researchers said the quakes could return, if plant operations were resumed.

Gas injections at the Castor plant were halted after they were linked to hundreds of minor earthquakes in 2013.

The ministry says the plant will not be dismantled for security reasons, at least for now.

The Castor project was estimated to have cost some 1.3 billion euros ($1.42 billion.)

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