Federal authorities say a natural gas leak has been stopped at a platform in the Gulf of Mexico off the southwestern Louisiana coast.
The platform is about 93 miles offshore, south of Lake Charles, in about 173 feet of water. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement says it hasn’t been in production for about a decade — and is used to process natural gas from other wells.
Authorities say Apache Corp. has stopped the leak and is working to permanently plug the hole. A drilling rig is in place in case a relief well is needed.
The leak was reported Jan. 16.
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Source: Associated Press, January 31, 2011; Image: Apache Corp.