Recently in Energy Category

At the request of the Department of Interior, the National Academy of Engineering formed a special committee to study the causes of the blowout of BP's Mississippi Canyon Block 252 well, dubbed Macondo.  The investigation of the blowout started in June, but news was made yesterday as the committee publicly interviewed members of BP's internal investigation team for the first time, as well as other parties.  You'll recall that BP's report, described by drilling contractor...

I was interviewed by Mimi Swartz in Texas Monthly's October issue talking about the BP well blowout.  Here's the link....

A few hours ago, Admiral Allen and BP made separate announcements that the Macondo well at Mississippi Canyon Block 252, has been successfully killed from the bottom by the relief well.  After 2 months of keeping the relief well on hold while the BP/US government partnership undertook various high risk operations from the top of the well, they've finally completed the kill that should have be done long ago.  They also announced that they will...

Oh, I know, I know...the mainstream media moved on from this story in early August just after NOAA's Oil Budget report was issued, accompanied by all the happy talk press briefings got the headlines that the White House wanted after asserting that all the oil in the Gulf was magically gone, even after BP's Macondo well spewed 5 million barrels into the environment for 87 days.  As we've talked about before, BP, and the government, backed...

The long awaited internal report on the blowout of Mississippi Canyon Block 252 well from BP was released this week, a 200 plus page treatise with page after page of data about the blowout and its causes.  Predictably, the report did its best to deflect liability away from BP by pointing the finger at virtually everyone else.  Also predictably, the press mostly gave them a pass, claiming that BP also blamed themselves for the accident....

I was on the Rachel Maddow show a couple of days ago talking about the Mariner platform fire at South Vermilion 380.  Have a look:...

Last night, the failed BOP that had allowed BP's Macondo well to flow uncontrolled into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days earlier this year was recovered after a risky US government-ordered replacement procedure was completed.  The massive structure was slowly recovered throughout the day and into the night, stopping about 500 feet below the surface to flush it with methanol to melt methane hydrates on the inside.  About 9 pm central time, it was...

Last night, BP/US government successfully landed a functioning BOP on the Macondo well after removing the the capping stack and old BOP earlier in the day.  Recall that my big concern was drill pipe hanging into the well from the BOP, as well as smaller pieces of drill pipe in the way, causing BP/US Government to delay for some days while studying and trying to decide what to do.  In the end they went ahead...

UPDATED:  At 9 am CDT, a fire on the platform at South Vermilion Block 380 was reported.  The production platform, owned and operated by Mariner Energy, is reported standing in about 340 feet of water.  Mariner is in the process of merging into Apache Corp.  At the time of the fire, there were 13 workers on the platform, all are accounted for and in the water in exposure suits.  Current reports are that it was...

Admiral Allen announced today that BP's fishing job being undertaken on their Mississippi Canyon Block 252 well has been called off due to total failure.  You'll recall that I disagreed with the procedure when it was announced on the 21st, believing it was unwise and risky.  After now attempting to fish out the drill pipe (actually 3 pieces) for several days, they have called off the job after completely failing at achieving their goal.  Previously,...