DECC: Elgin Relief Well Will Take 180 Days

The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has confirmed that it has granted approval to Total to drill a relief well on the leaking Elgin gas field and expects the operation to take 180 days.

In a Tweet yesterday, operator of the field Total said it had begun drilling on the first of two relief wells planned for the field. The first of two rigs, the Sedco 714 rig, began drilling on the site yesterday, the company confirmed.

"Drilling rig Sedco 714 has spudded the first relief well as part of the operation to stop the Elgin G4 gas leak," Total tweeted.

The company did not give any more details on the operation and did not specify how long it would take. However, the DECC yesterday said that the relief well would take six months to complete. It said the relief well, which would be located around 1.2 kilometres east of the Elgin G4 well, would drill to a vertical depth of 4,400 metres.

"We are happy with the progress Total is making to resolve this incident as quickly as possible," a spokesman said.

While the department was pleased with the progress so far at the field, it was continuing to work with Total to work on the use of heavy mud to stem the leak, a statement said. This method, the department says, is the government's preferred method of relieving the leak.

The DECC also welcomed the positive results of analysis on sediment and seawater samples from around the Elgin site, which showed no significant contamination to either.

"We continue to monitor the situation closely and the latest reports from Marine Scotland show that the impact to the environment remains minimal," the spokesman said.