Risk of Oil Leak Remains as BP Prepares to Lift Cap on Deepwater Horizon Oil Well

(Sept. 2) -- BP plans to carefully remove the cap from its crippled oil well today in preparation for a procedure it hopes will plug the massive leak in the Gulf of Mexico once and for all.

That procedure, known as "bottom kill," has been cited by the government as the only solution to stopping the oil for good. But the final steps to permanently seal the well are not without risks. Before the bottom kill can be attempted, engineers must remove the cap from the wellhead, replace the blowout preventer that failed to stop the April 20 explosion and hope that no oil escapes in the process.

This file photo made from an image taken from video provided by BP PLC shows the new 75-ton cap atop the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on July 15, minutes after the flow of oil was choked off.

BP PLC / AP

This image taken from video provided by BP PLC shows the top of the 75-ton cap atop the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill after the flow of oil was stopped July 15.

The cap, fixed atop the wellhead July 15, is credited with stopping the gusher, but removing it poses uncertainties.

No oil is expected to leak. Last month, BP pumped mud and cement into the broken well in a so-called "static kill" operation that appeared to push the crude back into its reservoir a mile beneath the surface. But engineers warn that removing the cap could cause problems if the static kill procedure wasn't as effective as it was thought to be.

"Just because it didn't flow when they tested it doesn't mean the cement displaced all of the oil and gas," George Hirasaki, an engineering professor at Rice University, told The Associated Press.

BP is expected to remove the cap later this afternoon, and oil collection boats will be on hand in case of a leak, according to the AP.

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The process hit a snag earlier this week when rough seas forced the embattled oil giant to wait to remove the cap. But Wednesday, Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is leading the government's response to the crisis, said waters in the gulf should be calm enough today to allow workers to lift the cap and begin the process of removing the busted blowout preventer.

BP will use a giant crane to remove the blowout preventer, applying 80,000 tons of pressure to the equipment in the hopes that it will come free without doing damage to the now fragile well, The Times-Picayune of New Orleans reported.

"We've run into a weather window that's got us in a hold," Allen told reporters Wednesday, according to CNN. "If we can get to the blowout preventer sooner rather than later, we will do that."

Engineers plan to study the blowout preventer to understand why it failed to stop the April 20 explosion that killed 11 people. Once the new device is in place and has been tested, BP can begin the bottom kill procedure, which is expected to take place later this month.