Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 632 - DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES › Division 10 - OIL AND GAS RULES › Section 632-010-0196 - Gas Injection of Oil and Gas Properties

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
In addition to the requirements of ORS
				520.095(1), OAR
				632-010-0002  through 632-010-0240 and any other applicable statutes, orders, or
				rules, wells drilled for the purpose of storing natural gas in an underground
				reservoir must be drilled in a manner that protects the underground reservoir
				against contamination and against waste of natural gas.
(1) Application and Approval: After applying
			 for and receiving approval, the permittee of any well or proposed well may
			 inject gas under pressure into the formation containing water, oil or gas for
			 the purpose of increasing production of oil or gas from the reservoir or for
			 storing natural gas.
(2) Casing and
			 Cement: Wells used for the injection of gas into the producing formation must
			 be cased with sound casing so as not to permit leakage, and the casing must be
			 cemented in a manner such that damage will not be caused to oil, gas, or
			 freshwater resources. All injection of gas must be through tubing with a casing
			 packer set at the lower end above the zone of injection, and the annular space
			 between tubing and casing must be monitored to be sure the packer is holding.
			 The requirement for a casing packer may be waived by the department for
			 temporary test injection into a depleted or partially depleted gas pool when an
			 existing well is utilized as the temporary injection well. Prior to temporary
			 injection, the casing must be tested for mechanical integrity to verify that
			 there are no leaks in the casing. The department must be notified of all
			 mechanical integrity tests.
(3)
			 Application, Contents, Notice, Objection, Hearing, and Approval:
(a) No gas may be injected into a well until
			 approved by the department pursuant to application and notice as herein
			 required;
(b) A written request for
			 gas injection of oil and gas properties must be submitted to the department and
			 include the following:
(A) The location of the
			 injection well;
(B) The location
			 and depth of all oil and gas wells and the names of mineral rights owners
			 within a one-half mile radius of the injection well;
(C) The name, description, and depth of the
			 formations from which wells are producing or have produced;
(D) The name, description, and depth of the
			 formations to be injected;
(E) The
			 depths of each formation into which gas is to be injected;
(F) The elevations of the top of the oil- or
			 gas-bearing formation in the injection well and the wells producing from the
			 same formation within one-half mile of the injection well;
(G) The log of the injection well, or similar
			 available information;
(H)
			 Description of the injection well casing;
(I) The estimated amounts to be injected
			 daily and the proposed injection pressure;
(J) An engineering and geological study of
			 the proposed injection site including:
(i)
			 Characteristics of reservoir and caprock, including areal extent, thickness,
			 and lithology;
(ii) Remaining gas
			 or oil reserves of storage zones, including calculations, if
			 applicable;
(iii) If an aquifer is
			 to be injected, known water wells, aquifer extent, thickness, and water
			 quality; and
(iv) Proposed use of
			 monitor wells for the project;
(K) The names and addresses of the
			 permittees; and
(L) Other
			 information the department may require to ascertain whether the gas injection
			 plan meets the requirements of law and does not pose a significant risk to
			 human health or the environment.
(c) Applications may be made to include the
			 use of more than one injection well on the same spacing unit or on more than
			 one spacing unit; and
(d)
			 Applications must be executed by all permittees who are to participate in the
			 proposed gas injection plan.