A bill to turn abandoned wells in Oklahoma into geothermal operations has won State House approval and is in the Senate.
As OK Energy Today reported last month, HB 3173, called the “Well Repurposing Act,” could potentially create new purposes for some of Oklahoma’s estimated 20,000 abandoned oil and gas wells.
“What this bill hopes to do is create an option where wells can be repurposed for geothermal energy and other uses a way to make money while capping the wells and reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases like methane,” said State Representative John Waldron D-Tulsa, who joined with Rep. Nick Archer (R-Elk City) in filing HB3173 to help address the state’s abandoned and orphaned well challenges. During a House committee hearing, Archer cited a recent interim study by the committee.
“We all heard through that committee presentation by OCC that the orphan and abandoned well situation in the state, at the current plugging rates with the known number of wells on paper, it will take 200 years to get through that list.”
The bill won overwhelming support last week in the House and was approved on a vote of 85-6.
Rep. Archer said in February the bill was intended to start an exploration of ways to solve Oklahoma’s abandoned well problem.
“This is not a silver bullet. It is not magically going to cure our band and well program but I would argue If it gets five wells off the list, that’s five that we do not have to deal with as a state,” explained Rep. Archer.