SPE has established a new technical section, the Plug and Abandonment Technical Section (P&ATS). This technical section is dedicated to cost-effective well decommissioning and leakage prevention from abandoned wells, including the repair of failed or patently inadequate prior abandonments of old wells that were plugged off under outdated industry practices or regulatory expectations.
The P&ATS is established for technical professionals, academia, and stakeholders working in well decommissioning to come together and share knowledge, experiences, best practices, and expectations or regulations; identify opportunities for innovation; promote industry awareness of technical challenges, solutions, and the expectations of society; and enhance technical competency.
The focus of the technical section is on “deep” wells. These are wells that must comply with the same set of regulations as oil, gas, and geothermal wells, including associated water injection and saltwater or sand, cuttings or sludge disposal wells.
P&A has recently evolved from a one-time end-of-life cost, where a few locally designated compliance boxes were ticked off, to an essential and prolonged effort to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, prevent aquifer pollution, and manage liabilities. With the prospect of reusing abandoned wells or assuring their safety when storing energy or carbon dioxide (CCS or CCUS), P&A has taken center stage in the future evolution of our industry.
We invite you to join the P&ATS to help our industry thrive, as the expectations from the stakeholders get tougher and a lot more “deep” wells drilled in support of geo-energy supply approach the end of their useful life.
You can join HERE. Simply check the box next to Plug and Abandonment and click Save at the bottom of the page.
Members can learn more about the Plug and Abandonment Technical Section HERE.