The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) began implementation last week of a first of its kind operator-led response plan in the western Permian Basin that addresses injection-induced seismicity to help keep residents and the environment safe, the state agency said in a March 7 release.
The plan for the Northern Culberson-Reeves Seismic Response Area (SRA)—which is adjacent to Guadalupe Mountain National Park to the west and is near the border of New Mexico to the north—is meant to reduce the intensity and frequency of earthquakes, including a goal to eliminate 3.5 magnitude or greater earthquakes no later than Dec. 31, 2023.
“Industry asked RRC to allow them to come up with a plan to address the issue,” commented Sean Avitt, manager of RRC’s injection-storage permits unit.
“We provided extensive feedback to ensure the plan met our goals.”
An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 struck near Stanton in West Texas within the Permian Basin on Dec. 27, the U.S. Geological Survey reported late last year.
The Dec. 27 quake was the second strongest earthquake in West Texas in the last 10 years, according to MRT news reports. As a result, the Texas RRC, which regulates the state’s oil industry, in December suspended deep disposal wells in four oil-rich counties in West Texas amid a spike in tremors.
The comprehensive plan for the Northern Culberson-Reeves SRA announced by the Texas RRC on March 7 provides variable reductions in disposal volumes of produced water (water that comes out of the ground with oil and gas during production) across all disposal wells. It will provide the RRC with additional information with the expansion of the seismic monitoring stations in the area, which will provide better data on the precise location and depth of earthquakes.
“Industry was able to produce a plan leveraging what they know about the area and their injection operations there,” Avitt added in the release. “However, we made it clear if circumstances change, the commission may have to take further actions to reduce seismicity.”
This is one of three SRAs in West Texas that the RRC has created to address injection-induced seismic activity from disposal wells, according to the release.
In December, the RRC indefinitely suspended deep disposal in the Gardendale SRA between Odessa and Midland. An operator-led response plan for the Stanton SRA is currently being developed, the release said.
The Northern Culberson-Reeves SRA plan affects 57 shallow saltwater disposal wells (typically less than 7,000 ft in depth) above the top of the Wolfcamp Shale Play and 31 deep disposal wells (typically between 11,000-16,000 ft in depth) below the bottom of the Wolfcamp.
The full plan is available on the Texas RRC’s Seismicity Response webpage.
Recommended Reading
Beetaloo Juice: US Shale Explores Down Under
2024-06-28 - Tamboran Resources has put together the largest shale-gas leasehold in Australia’s Beetaloo Basin, with plans for a 1.5+ Bcf/d play. Behind its move now to manufacturing mode are American geologists and E&P-builders, a longtime Australian wildcatter, a U.S. shale-rig operator and a U.S. shale pressure-pumper.
Industry Consolidation Reshapes List of Top 100 Private Producers in the Lower 48
2024-06-24 - Public-private M&A brings new players to top slots in private operators list.
EOG Resources Wildcatting Pearsall in Western Eagle Ford Stepout
2024-07-17 - EOG Resources spud the well June 25 in Burns Ranch with rights to the Pearsall well about 4,000 ft below the Eagle Ford, according to myriad sources.
URTeC: E&Ps Tap Refrac Playbook for Eagle Ford, Bakken Inventory
2024-06-17 - Refracs and other redevelopment projects might not be needle-moving growth drivers—but they’re becoming more common for E&Ps levered in maturing plays like the Eagle Ford and Bakken, experts discussed at URTeC 2024.
The OGInterview: BPX E-fracs Push ‘Values Up, Emissions Down,’ CEO Says
2024-07-02 - BPX Energy CEO Kyle Koontz discusses the company’s role as the “nimble entrepreneurial” arm of supermajor BP in the Permian Basin and Haynesville and Eagle Ford shales.