BP to test if Gulf well is dead
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British oil giant BP said Saturday the cement it pumped into the well in the Gulf of Mexico has set and the well would be declared dead if a pressure and weight test indicts no leaks.
The London-based company said in a statement that the cement-pumping, known as a "bottom kill," finished at 8:30 CDT Friday. The procedure involved filling the gap between the well casing and the rock formation that surrounds it with cement.
The cement it pumped into the broken well from the bottom had set, the company was quoted by U.S. media as saying on Saturday. The setting of the cement would mean that the well is finally plugged.
After conducting a pressure and weight test, officials will decide if the well is sealed for good. The results of the test were expected late Saturday but might not come until Sunday, according to U.S. media.
Confirmation that the well is permanently sealed will mark the official end of the saga that began on April 20, when an explosion on BP-leased Deepwater Horizon drilling rig killed 11 workers and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
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