Final BP well plug delayed til September-US govt

HOUSTON Aug 19 (Reuters) - The final plugging of BP Plc.'s (BP.L) (BP.N) blown-out Macondo well is delayed until September to allow replacement of a key piece of equipment, the top U.S. oil spill official said on Thursday.

BP had previously planned to complete its "bottom kill" procedure to seal the bottom of the well by mid-August.

Now, the procedure will likely begin "some time the week after Labor Day," the U.S. holiday on Sept. 6, said retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen. The delay will allow BP engineers to replace the failed blowout preventer -- a giant stack of pipes and valves that sit atop the Macondo well, a mile (1.6 km) beneath the sea surface.

(Reporting by Kristen Hays; Editing by Doina Chiacu)