New Mexico Administrative Code › Title 19 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND WILDLIFE › Chapter 11 - GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT › Part 4 - CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION › Section 19.11.4.10 - WELL CONSTRUCTION AND CASING REQUIREMENTS

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 13, July 16, 2024
Permittees shall construct and case all geothermal wells in
				  a manner to protect or minimize damage to life, health, property, ground water
				  and surface waters, geothermal resources, other natural resources, the
				  environment and the public welfare. No permittee shall construct, operate,
				  maintain, convert, plug, abandon or conduct any other injection activity in a
				  manner that allows the movement of fluid containing any contaminant into
				  underground sources of drinking water, if the contaminant may cause a violation
				  of drinking water regulations or rules or may otherwise adversely affect the
				  health of persons. The permittee has the burden of showing that it meets these
				  requirements. The permittee shall attach the permanent well head completion
				  equipment to the production casing or to the intermediate casing if production
				  casing does not reach the surface. The permittee shall install an annular
				  blowout preventer on wells when the division deems it necessary. All surface,
				  intermediate and production casing strings reaching the surface shall provide
				  adequate anchorage for BOPE, pressure control and protection for all natural
				  resources. The casing design criteria listed below represent minimum
				  requirements.
A.
Conductor
				casing.
The permittee shall install a minimum of 40 feet of conductor
				casing. The permittee shall cement the annular space solid to the surface. The
				permittee shall allow a 24-hour cure period for the grout prior to drilling out
				the shoe unless the permittee uses additives, approved by the division, to
				obtain early strength.
B.
Surface casing.
A surface casing shall provide for control of
				formation fluids, for protection of shallow usable ground water and for
				adequate anchorage for BOPE. The permittee shall cement all surface casing
				solid to the surface. The permittee shall allow a 24-hour cure period prior to
				drilling out the shoe of the surface casing unless the permittee uses
				additives, approved by the division, to obtain early strength. The permittee
				shall set sufficient casing to reach a depth below all known or reasonably
				estimated levels of fresh water and water of present or future value for
				domestic, commercial or agricultural use and to protect those aquifers and to
				prevent blowout or uncontrolled flows.
C.
Intermediate casing.
Intermediate casing is required for protection against unusual pressure zones,
				cave-ins, wash-outs, abnormal temperature zones, uncontrollable lost
				circulation zones or other drilling hazards. The permittee shall cement
				intermediate casing strings solid to the surface or to the top of the liner
				hanger whenever the permittee runs intermediate casing string as a liner. The
				permittee shall pressure test the liner lap, of any unslotted liner, prior to
				resumption of drilling.
D.
Production casing.
The permittee shall set production casing above
				or through the producing or injection zone and cement it above the injection
				zones. The permittee shall use sufficient cement to exclude overlying formation
				fluids from the geothermal zone, to segregate zones and to prevent movement of
				fluids behind the casing into zones that contain fresh ground water. The
				permittee shall either cement production casing solid to the surface or lap it
				into intermediate casing, if run. If the permittee laps production casing into
				an intermediate casing, the casing overlap shall be at least 100 feet, cemented
				solid and pressure tested to ensure its integrity.
E. All casing materials shall be suitable for
				the proposed operating design stresses and temperatures.