US Government: Decision On Performing Gulf Well 'Bottom Kill' Tuesday-Wed

The U.S. government expects to decide Tuesday or Wednesday on the best way to proceed with a final operation using a relief well to permanently seal the Gulf of Mexico oil leak, the top federal official overseeing the spill recovery said Monday.

Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said during a teleconference that he expects to receive a recommendation from BP PLC's (BP, BP.LN) engineers and federal scientists on the safest way to resume the bottom kill operation, in which drilling mud and cement are pumped through a relief well into the ruptured well. The operation was suspended Tuesday due to the threat of a tropical storm.

"I believe that we should pretty much have exhausted all the alternatives...some time in the next day or two at the maximum," Allen said.

One of the factors being considered before resuming the bottom kill operation is whether to remove the blowout preventer, the piece of equipment that failed to stop a natural-gas surge that led to the explosion and sinking of a rig in late April. Allen had originally opposed removing the device until the government is sure that the well is dead, but on Saturday he said that the option was on the table.

Once the recommendation is made, it could take four days to intercept the bottom of the broken Macondo well and begin cementing, Allen said.

BP, the owner of the damaged well, will then need at least three days to confirm through pressure tests that the operation successfully killed the well. The operation could take longer if BP is ordered to proceed with a plan that includes installing a new relief-pressure device, Allen said.

Last week, BP confirmed that well was practically sealed with cement pumped down through the well head, though the strength of the seal was unclear. Scientists are trying to determine how best to resume drilling of the relief well without damaging the cement and important pieces of evidence that could shed light on the origin of the oil spill. Several investigations are under way into the explosion and sinking of the rig, owned and operated by Transocean Ltd. (RIG).

Killing the leak with a relief well has long been touted as a final, permanent fix for the leak. No oil has escaped from the broken well since a cap was placed on it in mid-July.

-By Isabel Ordonez, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9207; isabel.ordonez@dowjones.com

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