PLANS to rebuild the part of the Buncefield depot wrecked by the 2005 blast to store petrol and jet fuel have been dropped.
Oil giant Total, which was prosecuted for safety breaches following the disaster, has decided not to go ahead with a large scheme including around 20 new storage tanks. Total has given no reason for the decision, saying only it is a ‘confidential matter’.
However, smaller scale plans from a partnership of oil companies including Total will go ahead, with six tanks for jet fuel supplying Heathrow and Gatwick.
In a statement Total said: “Following a period of detailed review of the plans to rebuild a combined jet fuel and ground fuels terminal at the site, the project partners will not now go ahead with this combined terminal. We will instead conserve the option to study the potential development, in the future, of a separate ground fuels terminal at the site.”