Williams Company Employee Dies At Opal Gas Plant

An employee of the Williams Company died at its natural gas processing plant in Opal on Wednesday, a spokeswoman said.

"Early morning Sept. 14, the Williams Opal natural gas processing plant in Lincoln County Wyoming reported the death of an employee at its Opal, Wyoming complex," Sara Delgado said, reading from a prepared statement.

"The cause of the death is under investigation and the appropriate regulatory agencies have been notified. There was no explosion nor fire at the plant and there is no threat to the surrounding area," Delgado said.

In the statement, Williams' senior operations manager Dan Kalan said, “'We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and want to express our deepest condolences to his family.'"

The plant is offline at this time and the site where the death occurred has been secured, Delgado said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified.

"Our top priority right now is to keep the site secure and conduct a thorough investigation, working in coordination with the proper authorities. Counselors have been contacted to be available for Williams employees at the Opal plant," she said.

In April 2014, an explosion at the plant forced the evacuation of the 95 residents of the town of Opal. Residents of the town, about 15 miles east of Kemmerer, were allowed to return to their homes a day later.

No injuries were reported in that incident.