A logo is seen at a BP fuel station in London July 27, 2010. [Xinhua/Reuters] |
British oil giant BP said on Friday it won't rule out the possibility of future oil drilling at the Gulf of Mexico oil well that caused the worst spill in U.S. history.
"Clearly there's lots of oil and gas here and we'll have to think about what to do with that at some point," BP's Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles told reporters in New Orleans, Louisiana.
What BP has made clear is that the "original well that had the blow out and the relief wells will be abandoned," he said.
Asked whether BP will consider donating the money from the sale of oil collected from the well to those affected by the spill or selling the rights to other oil companies, Suttles said BP has not thought about that.
At this point, the company's focus is on the spill response, he said.
BP finished plugging the over-three-month-long underwater gusher with cement on Thursday.
The company is planning to seal the well permanently with a " bottom kill" by drilling two relief wells, whose construction is expected to be completed by mid-August.