CleanTech Poland: ConocoPhilips/3Legs flare Lebien well for 6 days straight

At the Łebien LE-2H well in north Poland, a flare has been burning for six days.

Reaching a height of 15 meters and flowing with a steady hum for nearly a week, the combustion of natural gas began when ConocoPhilips and 3Legs Resources returned to the well to “de-water” the horizontal lateral or remove excess fracturing fluids.

A flare is a normal part of shale exploration and preferable to venting the methane that is brought to the wellhead. It's done for practical, environmental and safety reasons.

The flare went unnoticed for days, having begun on or around November 1st, a Polish holiday, and has continued to burn, prompting visits from locals but no mention in the press. The flare is not the first one in Poland from a shale well, but the first to be sustained for a period of time.  MORE