Elgin Cement Plugging to Be Completed Within Weeks

Total has said today that it expects to complete the cement plugging of the G4 wellhead on the Elgin complex within the next several weeks.

The cement plugs, which will be set by the Rowan Viking drilling rig, is the next stage of operations after Total successfully plugged the leaking wellhead with heavy mud last week. 

Until those plugs are set, the company said, it will continue the drilling of a relief well using the Sedco 714. A second relief well, which was planned to be drilled using the Rowan Gorilla V rig, will now not be initiated. Total says that it, in conjunction with the relevant authorities, has decided that this relief well is no longer necessary.

Total also today that this phase of operations will see the company begin to re-staff the complex. This follows a complete evacuation of all 238 employees from the UK North Sea complex on March 25th this year when gas leak first began.

The company said today that it had learned from the experience but was pleased with how the situation was repaired.

 "While we will obviously take on board any lessons to be learned, I want to congratulate all the teams, including our partners that have been mobilised with the only focus to stop the leak," President of Exploration & Production at Total, Yves-Louis Darricarrère, said.

"Safely evacuating everyone from the platform and adjacent drilling rig, preventing any serious environmental impact and recovering control of the G4 well is a highly commendable effort from the teams involved... Now, it is important that we continue to work together with the authorities to conclude the ongoing investigations, take into account lessons learnt and define the necessary conditions for restarting production of the Elgin-Franklin fields."