first published week of: 05/08/2023
NETL Harnessing Geospatial Mapping to Address Orphaned Wells
by National Energy Technology Lab Oress Release
By embracing the twenty-first century tools and techniques of the geospatial mapping, NETL researchers are developing new means of locating orphaned oil and gas wells so they can be plugged in the interest of public health and the environment by reducing the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere
By estimates, there are hundreds of thousands of these orphaned wells across the country, many of which were installed more than a century ago, predating digital records. These undocumented orphan wells, or UOWs, are often in unknown locations and their numbers range from 120,000 to 800,000 across the country. The definition of orphaned wells can vary from state to state, but generally orphaned wells are defined as idle wells for which the operator is unknown or insolvent.
“Finding the location and characterizing these orphaned wells is critical to ensure safe and effective plugging, which will help reduce risks to the environment, climate and human health and safety,” NETL geo-data scientist Jennifer Bauer said. “…
However, advances in technology have allowed for additional means to be integrated with these approaches, namely geospatial data. Geospatial data includes information about the physical location of objects, features and phenomena on the Earth's surface, such as latitude, longitude, elevation and other key attributes.
Read full story at U.s. Department of Energy…