Not only is the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s Oil and Gas Division targeting another 400 Arbuckle disposal wells for reduction in a new earthquake response plan for central Oklahoma, it is expanding an “area of interest” encompassing nearly 10,000 square miles.The new response plan covers several counties over 5,000 square miles and more than 400 Arbuckle disposal wells that will face a 40 percent reduction in operation, according to the announcement by Tim Baker, Director of the Division. The plan is similar to the one announced a few weeks ago covering all or parts of 7 counties and more than 5,000 square miles in the northwestern part of Oklahoma.
“This means a reduction of more than 300,000 barrels a day from the 2015 average injection volumes,” said Baker in an interview with OK Energy Today. He explained that the central state volume reduction plan, which stretches from Moore north to include southern Kay County covers an area where numerous, localized actions have been taken in the past 12 months around such areas as Cushing, Crescent and Edmond. It covers parts of Garfield, Noble, Kay, Pawnee, Payne, Kingfisher, Logan, Canadian, Oklahoma, Lincoln, western Creek, Pottawatomie, Okfuskee and Cleveland Counties.
“But the research and data has grown to provide the basis needed to both expand into a regional approach for volume reduction and increase the size of the Area of Interested,” continued Baker.
That’s why the state also expanded an area of interest where it will closely monitor disposal well use and earthquake activity. The new area of interest covers more than 10,000 square miles ranging from Creek County on the east to Custer county on the west.
“This will result in 118 more Arbuckle disposal wells being covered by so-called “yellow light” earthquake precautions,” explained Baker. “It also eliminates the possibility of administrative approval of a new Arbuckle disposal well application. The AOI expansion is a proactive move to get ahead of the earthquake activity.”
It means an applicant for a new disposal well will not be able to get a permit through an administrator. The new rules will require an applicant to go through the entire procedure of going before an Administrative Law Judge and explaining the request and showing a need for it.
Baker expressed optimism that the combination of the two areas targeted for disposal well reduction will work. He said the central Oklahoma plan will be phased in over two months. Researchers have cautioned against a sudden stoppage of the wells, fearing that a sudden pressure change might trigger more and stronger earthquakes.
As Baker and others with the Oil and Gas Division noted, they believe stronger earthquakes around Fairview in northwest Oklahoma in January might have been caused by power outages in the area that caused a sudden stoppage of the wells.
“It is believed that the power outage may hae created a situation where a number of producing wells were shut in, then simultaneously came back on line. When the wells began producing again, this apparently resulted in a tremendous volume of produced water being disposed into the Arbuckle formation at the same time,” explained Baker.
A breakdown of the Central Oklahoma plan shows it targets 406 Arbuckle disposal wells run by 126 different operators. As Baker explained, many of the wells are older ones drilled in the 1950s but none will be shut in by this latest plan. The 30-day average daily disposal volume will not be allowed to be more than the 15,000 barrels for each well. The latest order will also require that gauges and flow meters will be placed on each well before Friday, March 18.
