Total said yesterday that it had found the source of its leak on the Elgin platform – but has yet to decide how to stop it.
The leak is coming from a 13,000ft deep reservoir – above a deeper reservoir used to produce gas until about a year ago.
A spokeswoman said the firm had found the leak was coming out at deck level of the well head platform – this is where the well is joined to pipes that would then carry the gas away.
She said the firm was still looking at three options to plug the leak – letting it run out itself, drilling a relief well or sending a crew on to the platform to carry out a “well kill” operation.
She said: “We know that the main producing reservoir, 18,000ft deep, was plugged over a year ago.
“We found another formation above that at about 13,000ft is the sources of the gas.
“It is leaking up through the well and is coming out at the deck level of the platform.
“A team of experts from other areas of Total is in place in Aberdeen and also additional experts have been brought in under contract.”
She said the experts – well control and drilling engineers – are working on how to stop the leak.
The most ideal option was to let the well stop leaking of its own accord.
A relief well could take up to six months and cost Total about £39million, based on current day rates for the drilling rig, analysts said.
Putting well control experts on the platform to carry out a “well kill” operation, where drilling mud is put down the well to stem the flow, was also being looked at.
Total’s press office said it was too early to estimate costs. Exactly how and why the higher reservoir had started leaking now was not clear.
The Press and Journal asked how much gas was currently leaking from the platform, however we got no response from Total yesterday.
The spokesman said a sheen of condensate, a petrol-like substance, and drilling mud on the surface of the sea had not changed. It is estimated to be about the same amount a road tanker could hold.
The flare stack, which burns off excess fuel, was also still burning, and could still cause an explosion if it ignited the gas.
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