UPDATE: One man dead, pumping unaffected at Rosneft’s Siberian field

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MOSCOW, Jul 27 (PRIME) -- One person died and six were injured in a fire that broke out after a blast at the Verkhnechonskoye field of Russian oil major Rosneft in the Irkutsk Region, but it did not disrupt oil pumping into the East Siberia–Pacific Ocean pipeline system, Rosneft’s unit Verkhnechonskneftegaz said in a statement Wednesday.

The company said that a backfire happened at a fuel gas receiver at the field’s power station during start-up work carried out by a contractor.

“The backfire at the power station’s receiver had no effect on oil pumping of from the Verkhnechonskoye field,” the company said.

The development of the Verkhnechonskoye field and exploration of eight adjacent fields is one of Rosneft’s priority goals. All oil from the field is exported through the East Siberia–Pacific Ocean pipeline.

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