BP: Removed Storm Plug From Relief Well at Spill Site

HOUSTON (Dow Jones Newswires), July 28, 2010

BP said Wednesday that one of its drilling rigs successfully removed a storm plug placed on a relief well at the Deepwater Horizon spill site, and it is preparing to run drill pipe into the well.

The plug was put in place when the company evacuated the site last week to flee a tropical storm. The process of removing it is part of the company's bid to kill the broken Macondo well, which has spewed millions of barrels of oil into the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

BP will attempt to flood the Macondo well from the top with heavy drilling fluid and cement as early as Sunday, but it also aims to intersect the bottom of the broken well with a relief well in about two weeks. That will help the company ensure the spill has been permanently contained.

BP said on its website that there is no evidence that the broken well doesn't have integrity, which will allow the company to keep the oil and gas shut in with a containment system it installed recently.

Pressure at the well continues to increase slowly, and is about 6,937 pounds per square inch. The company said that currently there is no oil flowing into the ocean.

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