Texas RRC Tightens Permitting Rules for Permian Disposal Wells
The Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas has issued new regulations on permitting disposal wells in the Permian Basin. The Commission said in a media release that the guidelines were based on scientific and engineering analysis.
To improve the integrity of underground produced water disposal, new regulations will be introduced for saltwater disposal well (SWD) permit applications in the area. Produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction, is injected into SWDs.
The commission added that new and amended permit applications in the Permian Basin will be evaluated based on an expanded area of review (AOR) at the injection site, limits on the maximum injection pressure at the surface based on geologic properties, and limits on the maximum daily injection volume based on reservoir pressure.
In an AOR, operators must evaluate abandoned or inactive wells to make sure that produced water does not leak through those wellbores, the Commission said. The updated guidelines extend the AOR to half a mile, from the existing quarter-mile radius.
The updated permitting standards also necessitate that operators prove their injection pressure will not break the confining layers of the reservoirs into which the produced water is injected. The Commission also added that it will impose restrictions on the maximum amounts that SWDs can inject, depending on the pressure within the disposal reservoirs.
These modifications enhance the Commission’s permitting requirements for disposal wells by concentrating permitting efforts on ensuring that injected fluids stay contained within the disposal formations, thereby protecting ground and surface freshwater, it said.
The RRC said the updated SWD permitting standards in the Permian Basin will be effective starting June 1. These standards apply to new and modified permit applications for deep and shallow disposal wells. Permit applications for disposal wells situated within 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) of a seismic event will still be assessed according to the agency’s seismicity review protocols, it said.
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