17.04.2017, 23:56
BP well leak brought under control in Alaska
OREANDA-NEWS. BP says a leak it discovered three days ago from a damaged oil and gas well on Alaska's North Slope has been brought under control.
The well caused an initial spray of oil to the surrounding gravel well pad and had been releasing natural gas since BP employees discovered the leak on 14 April. BP's initial attempts to control the well were unsuccessful because of damage to the well.
BP today said crews successfully killed the well last night but did not provide further details.
Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) confirmed that the well was no longer leaking, but it could not immediately provide more details about the size of the leak. BP, ADEC, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the North Slope Borough have been working to bring the well under control.
The well is located in the Prudhoe Bay area about 5 miles (8km) from the Deadhorse airport that serves the North Slope of Alaska. ADEC yesterday said infrared images indicated the oil spray did not leave the well pad, but responders had not been able to confirm that it had not reached the adjacent tundra.
Gas leaks have come under increased scrutiny since a 2015 incident at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility near Los Angeles released an estimated 4.6 Bcf (130mn m3) of natural gas into the atmosphere. Natural gas is primarily composed of methane, which accounts for about 10pc of US greenhouse gas emissions.
Environmentalists said the leak was the latest example of the dangers of oil and gas development in the harsh and remote environment of Alaska. US independent Hilcorp on 14 April reported it had stopped a gas leak from a subsea pipeline in the Cook Inlet that was discovered in February but likely started at least a month earlier.
"Oil companies continue to treat Alaska with reckless abandonment, threatening its pristine waters, wildlife and communities," Sierra Club Alaska program director Dan Ritzman said yesterday.
The well caused an initial spray of oil to the surrounding gravel well pad and had been releasing natural gas since BP employees discovered the leak on 14 April. BP's initial attempts to control the well were unsuccessful because of damage to the well.
BP today said crews successfully killed the well last night but did not provide further details.
Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) confirmed that the well was no longer leaking, but it could not immediately provide more details about the size of the leak. BP, ADEC, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the North Slope Borough have been working to bring the well under control.
The well is located in the Prudhoe Bay area about 5 miles (8km) from the Deadhorse airport that serves the North Slope of Alaska. ADEC yesterday said infrared images indicated the oil spray did not leave the well pad, but responders had not been able to confirm that it had not reached the adjacent tundra.
Gas leaks have come under increased scrutiny since a 2015 incident at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility near Los Angeles released an estimated 4.6 Bcf (130mn m3) of natural gas into the atmosphere. Natural gas is primarily composed of methane, which accounts for about 10pc of US greenhouse gas emissions.
Environmentalists said the leak was the latest example of the dangers of oil and gas development in the harsh and remote environment of Alaska. US independent Hilcorp on 14 April reported it had stopped a gas leak from a subsea pipeline in the Cook Inlet that was discovered in February but likely started at least a month earlier.
"Oil companies continue to treat Alaska with reckless abandonment, threatening its pristine waters, wildlife and communities," Sierra Club Alaska program director Dan Ritzman said yesterday.
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