BP said it plans to complete the sealing of its Macondo well on Saturday as Transocean's Development Driller III rig has drilled the final 45 feet of a relief well.
An explosion on Transocean's Deepwater Horizon resulted in the well rupturing and spilling millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The well has been sealed from above since July but is being intersected from below to complete Macondo's shutdown.
The relief well's drilling was halted for nearly a month, first due to weather impacts, before resuming Monday.
BP said Friday that testing of drilling mud recovered from the well indicated no hydrocarbons or cement were present where the wells intersect and a planned injection of cement to reinforce the current plug may proceed.
Federal officials had wanted to ensure a cement seal currently in the well won't be damaged by any pressure buildups.
BP's American Depositary Shares were down 0.7% at $38.01 in recent premarket trading. They have dropped about a third so far this year.
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