Total gas leak: ‘Progress’ in plans to stop leak on Elgin platform

THERE has been “significant progress” in plans to stop a gas leak on an offshore platform, its operator has said.

All 238 staff were evacuated from the Elgin platform, around 150 miles (241km) off Aberdeen, when it began leaking gas more than two weeks ago.

Every day about 200,000 cubic metres of gas are escaping from a rock formation below the sea. It is then entering into the air from a leak on the platform at the top of the well, about 80ft (24m) above sea level.

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Oil and gas company Total said preparatory work for the planned drilling of a primary and back-up relief well continued last week with two assessment flights to the platform.

Total employees and specialists from Wild Well Control, a well intervention firm, have now travelled to the platform three times.

A spokeswoman said: “During these two visits… additional valuable information was gathered to prepare for the well control operation and to carry out essential cleaning of key areas around the wellhead, where waxy deposits had accumulated.”

She added that two rigs are being mobilised for the drilling of the relief wells.

The Sedco 714, expected to start drilling first, has been outside the Elgin exclusion zone since 8 April, while site surveys for its exact location are completed.

The second rig, the Rowan Gorilla V, is closing down operations on the nearby West Franklin field before repositioning itself to drill the second relief well.

Two other vessels are being moved to support the drilling. The West Phoenix, a semi-submersible drilling rig, is on standby outside the two nautical mile (3.7km) exclusion zone, and Skandi Aker, a light intervention vessel, is in Peterhead harbour being fitted with dedicated equipment to support the operations.

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