Total announces Elgin gas leak is fully repaired

21 May 2012

Posted by Neil Brunskill

An operation carried out to plug up a gas leak on the Elgin Platform in the North Sea has proved to be a full success, according to oil company Total.

Gas began to escape from a pipe within the facility in late March and the whole platform was completely evacuated.

Last week, Total began pumping thick mud into the well to stop the gas getting out and it said today (May 21st) that the operation has been a complete success.

Personnel will now be taken back to Elgin before the affected well is sealed with concrete.

Total's Yves-Louis Darricarrere said the company will be working with the authorities to learn lessons from the incident and restart operations at the facility.

According to the firm's website, the peak production capability for the Elgin/Franklin Field is 280,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and 15.5 million cubic metres of gas per day, so the dip in production could have an effect on heating oil prices in the coming weeks.

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