North Dakota Administrative Code › Title 43 - Industrial Commission › Article 43-05 - Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide › Chapter 43-05-01 - Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide › Section 43-05-01-11.4 - Testing and monitoring requirements

Current through Supplement No. 393, July, 2024
The storage operator shall prepare, maintain, and comply with
				  a testing and monitoring plan to verify that the geologic sequestration project
				  is operating as permitted and is not endangering underground sources of
				  drinking water. The requirement to maintain and implement a commission-approved
				  plan is directly enforceable regardless of whether the requirement is a
				  condition of the permit. The plan must be submitted with the storage facility
				  permit application for commission approval and must include a description of
				  how the storage operator will meet the requirements of this section, including
				  accessing sites for all necessary monitoring and testing during the life of the
				  project.
1. The testing and monitoring
				plan must include:
a. Analysis of the carbon
				dioxide stream in compliance with applicable analytical methods and standards
				generally accepted by industry and with sufficient frequency to yield data
				representative of its chemical and physical characteristics;
b. Installation and use, except during well
				workovers, of continuous recording devices to monitor injection pressure, rate,
				and volume; the pressure on annulus between the tubing and the long string
				casing; and the annulus fluid volume added;
c. Corrosion monitoring of the well materials
				for loss of mass, thickness, cracking, pitting, and other signs of corrosion,
				which must be performed on a quarterly basis to ensure that the well components
				meet the minimum standards for material strength and performance by:
(1) Analyzing coupons of the well
				construction materials placed in contact with the carbon dioxide
				stream;
(2) Routing the carbon
				dioxide stream through a loop constructed with the material used in the well
				and inspecting the materials in the loop; or
(3) Using an alternative method approved by
				the commission;
d.
				Periodic monitoring of the ground water quality and geochemical changes above
				the confining zone that may be a result of carbon dioxide movement through the
				confining zone or additional identified zones, including:
(1) The location and number of monitoring
				wells based on specific information about the geologic sequestration project,
				including injection rate and volume, geology, the presence of artificial
				penetrations, and other factors; and
(2) The monitoring frequency and spatial
				distribution of monitoring wells based on baseline geochemical data and on any
				modeling results in the area of review evaluation;
e. A demonstration of external mechanical
				integrity at least once per year until the injection well is plugged; and, if
				required by the commission, a casing inspection log at a frequency established
				in the testing and monitoring plan;
f. A pressure fall-off test at least once
				every five years unless more frequent testing is required by the commission
				based on site-specific information;
g. Testing and monitoring to track the extent
				of the carbon dioxide plume and the presence or absence of elevated pressure
				(e.g., the pressure front) by using:
(1)
				Direct methods in the injection zone; and
(2) Indirect methods (e.g., seismic,
				electrical, gravity, interferometric synthetic aperture radar or
				electromagnetic surveys and down-hole carbon dioxide detection tools), unless
				the commission determines, based on site-specific geology, that such methods
				are not appropriate;
h.
				The commission may require surface air monitoring and soil gas monitoring to
				detect movement of carbon dioxide that could endanger an underground source of
				drinking water. Regarding these requirements:
(1) Design of surface air and soil gas
				monitoring must be based on potential risks to underground sources of drinking
				water within the area of review;
(2) The monitoring frequency and spatial
				distribution of surface air monitoring and soil gas monitoring must be based on
				using baseline data, and the monitoring plan must describe how the proposed
				monitoring will yield useful information on the area of review; and
(3) Surface air monitoring and soil gas
				monitoring methods are subject to the commission's approval;
i. Any additional monitoring, as
				required by the commission, necessary to support, upgrade, and improve
				computational modeling of the area of review evaluation;
j. Periodic reviews of the testing and
				monitoring plan by the storage operator to incorporate monitoring data
				collected, operational data collected, and the most recent area of review
				reevaluation performed. The storage operator shall review the testing and
				monitoring plan at least once every five years. Based on this review, the
				storage operator shall submit an amended testing and monitoring plan or
				demonstrate to the commission that no amendment to the testing and monitoring
				plan is needed. Any amendments to the testing and monitoring plan are subject
				to the commission's approval, must be incorporated into the permit, and are
				subject to the permit modification requirements. Amended plans or
				demonstrations must be submitted to the commission as follows:
(1) Within one year of an area of review
				revaluation;
(2) Following any
				significant changes to the facility, such as addition of monitoring wells or
				newly permitted injection wells within the area of review, on a schedule
				determined by the commission; or
(3) When required by the commission;
				and
k. A quality
				assurance and surveillance plan for all testing and monitoring
				requirements.