5 Key Carbon Credit Plugging Steps
by Kenny Childress
The orphan well epidemic is combated by state and tribal agencies with limited state and federal funds. They use these funds to award licensed plugging contractors the job of plugging orphan wells. These plugging contractors go rig up to an orphan well, plug it and restore the wellsite. Recently, carbon credit plugging has reached the oil and gas industry, providing aid to these state and tribal agencies to help deal with the never-ending orphan well issue. A carbon credit plugger plugs orphan wells, leaking methane in the atmosphere. The methane leaking into the atmosphere is quantified and converted to carbon credits after the well is plugged and the methane leak is stopped. To plug an orphan well and obtain carbon credits, more steps have to be taken by the carbon credit plugger for methane quantification, transparency, and validation. Here’s a look at the five keys steps showing the additional requirements needed.
Here’s a look at the five key steps showing the additional requirements needed:
1. Locate
An orphan well’s age or drilling date can range from a few years to over 100 years. The age can make locating them challenging, as roads stop being maintained and disappear. The terrain changes at and around the well over time, and vegetation hides hazards that can damage equipment searching for the well and hide the well itself. Locating the well is the first step a carbon credit plugger needs to take, and it must be done safely.
2. Evaluation
Once the well is located and properly identified, a carbon credit plugger needs to evaluate the well for methane leaks. Once a leak is determined, it is then scanned or quantified and then documented. The plugger will also look at well records, wellhead equipment and deem if it has potential to leak or emit the required amount for a measurement test.
3. Measurement
Before a carbon credit plugger can plug an orphan well, it must undergo a measurement process of that well. That process simply measures or quantifies the amount of methane the well can leak into the atmosphere. Multiple tests lasting several hours are sometimes necessary to get the proper data for the well’s methane emissions. This step is crucial as it will show the amount of methane taken out to the atmosphere and the carbon credits for the well.
4. Plugging and Restoration
Finally, after completing the first three steps, a carbon credit plugging company can plug the well, remove surface equipment, and restore the well site.
5. Post Measurement
After plugging the orphan well, post-measurement is needed to ensure no methane emissions or leaks from the plugged well. This process can be done days to years after the well is plugged. The frequency of post-measurement depends on the plugger and its requirements.
Every day, more orphan wells emerge. Therefore, these state and tribal agencies must be continually funded to plug them. Carbon credit plugging plays a vital role with these agencies to clean greenhouse gas emissions in their jurisdictions and help them team up on this endless task of plugging orphan wells.
