NEW YORK (Reuters) - Natural gas from a well being drilled by Apache Corporation in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has flowed underground, leading U.S. regulators to order the company to prepare to drill a relief well to control the flow if necessary, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said.
Apache shut in the well on February 5 after it had a "kick" upon encountering a zone of "abnormally pressured" natural gas while drilling, the company said in a statement on its website.
A kick commonly refers to a temporary loss of control over the well due to higher than anticipated pressures being encountered while drilling, leading to fluids or gas flowing into the well.