Inactive wells , estimated to cost $30 billion to plug, could release methane, oil or other pollutants.
A well in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. Photo: Louisiana Bettmann
When oil and gas wells are no longer in use, operators must cap them to prevent leaks. However, about 14,000 inactive wells in U.S. waters in the Gulf of Mexico have not been plugged, the Smithsonian reported on May 16. The new study was published in the journal Nature Energy.
The researchers estimate that plugging all these wells, often with cement, could cost as much as $30 billion. Until they are repaired, they could harm the environment.
Wells that are shut down but not capped can release methane, oil, or other pollutants that are not good for ecosystems or human health if they spill in large quantities, said Mark Agerton, an energy economist at the University of California, Davis, and a co-author of the study. “We don’t want that stuff in our drinking water, our food, or on the ground next to us,” he said.
The team of experts studied data on 82,000 oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico from the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and other databases. They found a large number of inactive wells in offshore, inland waters and wetlands.
David Pettit, an attorney with the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said it is unlikely that all of these inactive wells will be plugged due to financial concerns.
But focusing on shallow-water wells could be an effective way to mitigate the risk, the team found. They found that 90 percent of inactive wells are in shallow water, and plugging them would cost just a quarter of the total estimated cost.
Shallow-water wells should also be prioritized because they pose greater environmental risks. Pollution near shore can destroy coastal ecosystems more easily. Methane leaks from shallow-water wells can also more easily reach the surface and enter the atmosphere, said study co-author Gregory Upton, an energy expert at Louisiana State University.
However, if the United States continues to shift away from fossil fuels, the enormous cost of plugging all the unused oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico will increase. The new research, the experts hope, will provide information that will help address the issue of well plugging costs.
Thu Thao (According to Smithsonian )
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