Work on the Horseshoe Bay gas exploration well is winding down, but inspections of the Stewart Island site will continue.

Environment Southland compliance manager Mark Hunter said the well should now be sealed with concrete casing, as agreed when consent was given.

The casing will be inspected by the council once it has been notified it is complete. Mr Hunter said the company had yet to provide bore logs and other monitoring data, but this could take time to compile. It had also given Environment Southland data on the contents of the lubricating mud used in drilling.

In its resource consent application, Greymouth said some of the substances added to the mud were hazardous but they would be properly contained and dealt with.

There was a small diesel spill from an overfilled tanker during the worksthat was properly reported and cleaned up, Mr Hunter said.

Southland District Council resource management planner Jennifer Green said the company believed the site would be wound up by the middle of this month. The company's application to drill a second well on the island, near the Ringa Ringa golf course, remained on hold.

Greymouth did not respond to attempts to contact it yesterday.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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