US Govt Raises Estimate On BP Spill 35,000 To 60,000 Bbls/Day

15th Jun 2010 22:35

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES A group of federal and independent scientists raised the estimate on the flow rate of oil spilling out from a broken pipe, saying between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels a day is likely flowing from the broken Gulf of Mexico well. The higher estimate is significantly above BP PLC's (BP, BP.LN) initial estimate of 1,000 barrels a day. Last week, a team led by government scientists trying to measure the Macondo well's flow rate announced that about 20,000 to 40,000 barrels of oil could be spewing into the Gulf. At the direction of the federal government, BP is implementing a number of strategies to significantly expand the leak-containment capabilities at the sea floor even beyond the upper level of Tuesday's improved estimate. The cap currently in place can capture up to 18,000 barrels of oil a day. BP is deploying a second containment option, which can expand total leak containment capacity to 20,000 to 28,000 barrels a day. Overall, the strategy BP was required to develop projects capacity expanding to 40,000 to 53,000 barrels a day by the end of June, and 60,000 to 80,000 barrels a day by mid-July. "As we continue to collect additional data and refine these estimates, it is important to realize that the numbers can change," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. He added the upper number is less certain, which is why the government is planning for the worst-case scenario. The oil spill was triggered by an explosion on April 20 that destroyed an oil rig, killing 11 crew workers. BP has been scrambling to contain the spill since. -By John Kell, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2480; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 15, 2010 17:35 ET (21:35 GMT)