Permian Basin sees boom for saltwater disposal wells
A boom to build new saltwater disposal wells is underway in the Permian Basin.
Drilling for crude oil and natural gas in the prolific West Texas shale play is happening faster than pipelines can be built to move product to market. It’s also happening faster than companies can build landfills for oil field waste and disposal wells to inject wastewater deep underground.
But that may change. Over the past week, two companies have filed drilling permit applications to develop 12 saltwater disposal wells in the Permian Basin.
Fort Worth saltwater disposal well operation Boykin Energy is seeking permission from the Railroad Commission of Texas to develop five injection wells on its Ross SWD lease in Loving County. Midland oil company CrownQuest Operating is seeking permission to develop another seven saltwater disposal wells on leases in Loving County.
Permian Basin
Denver oil company Jagged Peak plans to drill 11 new horizontal wells on two leases in Ward County. The wells target the Phantom field of the Wolfcamp geological layer at total depths of 15,000 feet.
Eagle Ford Shale
The recently formed oil company Action Energy plans to drill two new wells on the company’s Y-Bar Action lease in McMullen County. The wells target the Eagleville field of the Eagle Ford geological layer down to a total depth of 12,000 feet. Over the past six months, Action, of Denver, bought already-producing leases in South Texas from Valence Operating Co. and Abraxas Petroleum.
Haynesville Shale
Mount Enterprise oil company KJ Energy is preparing to drill a horizontal gas well in East Texas on its Pool-CyphersWhite lease in Rusk County. Located about 11 miles southeast of Henderson, the well targets the natural gas-rich Brachfield SE field of the Cotton Valley geological layer down to a depth of 10,347 feet.
Barnett Shale
Oklahoma oil and natural gas company Devon Energy broke a four-week horizontal drilling drought in North Texas. The company is seeking permission to drill a pair of horizontal wells on its Nelon, G.E. lease in Wise County. Located about 2 miles southwest of Boyd, the wells target the Newark East field of the Barnett geological layer down to total depths of 9,000 feet.
Conventionals
Dallas oil company Scout Energy Management is seeking permission to drill four vertical wells split between its Sneed and Sneed C leases in Moore County in the Texas Panhandle. The four oil wells target the Panhandle West field at depths of 4,000 feet.