BP Delays Tests of Stopping Oil Spill, Awaits U.S. Approval

BP

BP has put a hold on testing its most recent plan to plug up the largest oil spill in the history of the United States. This comes after the Obama administration has ordered a halt until more facts are verified.

Government and industry researchers will be putting their heads together to review the plans for a pressure test which will be carried out once they manage to stop the oil from spewing out using their “Top Hat 10”.

This test is to ensure that the cap they are putting into place will not only stop the leak, but also not cause the well to split open and start leaking somewhere else.

The delay in the testing process came about after Steven Chu, Energy Secretary, and a team of local experts cautioned that more data was needed before the test could be safely carried out. This test will finally answer the question as to whether BP can safely plug up the well with cement.

BP has commented that the delay has set them behind schedule in drilling the relief wells by a good day or two. “What we don’t want to do is move forward with a test that ends up with inconclusive results,” Wells, one of the Senior Vice Presidents’ of BP, explained. “We just need to make sure there’s absolute clarity that this is the right test, that this will give us the most information, that this will minimize the risk.”