The first attempt to cap the well failed on July 31 and the second on August 10. (File)
Dibrugarh:
Preparations are underway to shut down the damaged oil well in Baghjan in Assam, which has been spitting gas uncontrollably for 78 days, the PSU said.
Two attempts to plug the well, which is located in the district of Tinsukia, made in a fortnight have failed.
A statement from the Oil Exploration Major said the widening of the 11-inch spacer coil flange bolt hole was completed overnight at its central workshop and moved to the site of the wells early Wednesday morning, a statement from the oil exploration major said.
Connection of this new spacer coil with the blow-off shutter (BOP) stack is in progress. After that, the BOP stack will be pressure tested again, the company said.
A BOP is a very heavy metal cover weighing several tons that is placed at the mouth of any gas or oil well to stop fuel leaks from the basement.
The assembly of the bull lines repaired with the Athey wagon, the oilfield firefighting equipment, is also underway at the site. The Athey wagon will be tested under load.
Stating that all safety precautions are maintained and are in place, the press release indicates that all efforts are being made to control the well as soon as possible.
He said a total of 2,756 families were interviewed through Aug. 11 in Doomdooma and Tinsukia Circle for damage assessment and compensation.
The company also said that oil and gas production continues to be affected due to the forced shutdown of a few oil and gas wells connected to Baghjan EPS.
Drilling and reconditioning operations also continue to be affected in a few locations due to the forced closure of operations.
On the impact on oil and gas production due to protests, blockades and bandhs organized in and around the Baghjan region since May 27 due to the eruption, the statement says 26,280 metric tons of crude oil and 63.04 million st. cubic meters of natural gas were lost.
At the same time, the environmental impact study on various parameters is carried out by TERI, ERM, CSIR-NEIST, IIT-Guwahati apart from the internal control of OILs of air quality, noise level, presence of gas.
Biological sanitation activities in the affected areas are also underway, he added.
Well number 5 in Baghjan, Tinsukia district, has been spitting gas uncontrollably for 78 days since May 27. It caught fire on June 9 killing two of the OIL firefighters at the site.
The first attempt to plug the well failed on July 31 and the second on August 10.
