Total’s Elgin platform in the North Sea which was shut in following a gas leak earlier this year is now back to being fully manned.

 

Essential safety and support systems are also up and running on the platform and nearby Rowan Viking rig after gas was discovered leaking from Elgin’s G4 well on 25 March.

The leak was eventually halted through a top-kill procedure on 15 May.

“Since the gas leak on the Elgin G4 well was stopped by a successful well intervention operation on 15 May, the G4 well has remained stable and significant further progress has been made moving towards a permanent solution,” Total said on Friday.

“Total and its contractors have now restarted the essential safety and support systems on board the Elgin complex and the adjacent Rowan Viking drilling rig.

“The key stage of putting cement plugs in place to permanently secure the well is ongoing and expected to be completed by mid-September.”

Elgin is now fully manned again with 138 personnel with 60 people onboard the Rowan Viking. Seadrill’s semi-submersible West Phoenix, which was assisting with the top kill procedure, has also been released to drill the Tomintoul exploration well in the West of Shetlands area.

Total also revealed that the total amount of gas estimated to have leaked was 3096 tonnes as well as 3076 tonnes (22,454 barrels of oil equivalent) of condensate.

Gas was originally spewing from the platform at a rate of some 7 million cubic feet per day following the discovery of the leak in late March, but this soon diminished significantly.

A sheen of gas condensate also developed on the water surface.

Total shut in all production at its Elgin and Franklin fields following the discovery of the leak. The oil major evacuated all 238 workers from the Elgin facility and the adjacent Rowan Viking.

Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell also pulled all workers from its nearby Shearwater platform.

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