Redrilling a plugged well

Factual Questions
1

So with the static kill procedure have been finished, I just read that they are now waiting for the relief wells to be completed, so they can inject concrete for a bottom kill procedure, which would be the be-all-end-all of the leak.

I recall reading some place a few months ago that alluded to the idea that once a well is permanently plugged, the reservoir cannot be tapped again. Technically, its still possible (just drill again) - but whatever I read mentioned something about not being able to tap again due to permitting and legal issues. In other words, it was more a procedural reason than a technical one.

Does anyone know if there is any truth to this? My understanding was that this reserve was rather large, and it seems a shame that it would be offlimits from now on. However, my memory of the details of what I read are hazy at best.

EDIT: Crap - wrong forum. Meant this to go into General Questions, but I was browsing through MPSIMS. Can a mod move this, please?

2

I’m in the industry, and so far as I know, the leaseholder can file for permits to drill additional wells, and if granted, go ahead. I don’t of any federal rule that says that if the discovery well is plugged, no more can be drilled on the lease. That wouldn’t make sense anyway: because of the long (usually several years) lead time to make a development plan and build or acquire the production infrastructure in deepwater operations, discovery wells are plugged whether they are producers or not.

I’ll defer a definitive answer to someone with greater knowledge of offshore well permitting rules.