Sulimar Queen environmental restoration project closure package Sandia environmental stewardship exemplar.

Technical Report · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/952846· OSTI ID:952846

Tillman, Jack B

In March 2008, Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, Roswell Field Office, completed its responsibilities to plug and abandon wells and restore the surface conditions for the Sulimar Queens Unit, a 2,500 acre oil field, in Chaves County, Southeast New Mexico. Sandia assumed this liability in an agreement to obtain property to create a field laboratory to perform extensive testing and experimentation on enhanced oil recovery techniques for shallow oil fields. In addition to plugging and abandoning 28 wells, the project included the removal of surface structures and surface reclamation of disturbed lands associated with all plugged and abandoned wells, access roads, and other auxiliary facilities within unit boundaries. A contracting strategy was implemented to mitigate risk and reduce cost. As the unit is an important wildlife habitat for prairie chickens, sand dune lizards, and mule deer, the criteria for the restoration and construction process were designed to protect and enhance the wildlife habitat. Lessons learned from this project include: (1) extreme caution should be exercised when entering agreements that include future liabilities, (2) partnering with the regulator has huge benefits, and (3) working with industry experts, who were familiar with the work, and subcontractors, who provided the network to complete the project cost effectively.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 952846
• Report Number(s): SAND2008-6182; TRN: US201002%%1491
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
ABANDONED WELLS
AGREEMENTS
BIOLOGICAL RECOVERY
CHICKENS
CLOSURES
CONSTRUCTION
CONTRACTORS
COST
DEER
HABITAT
HAZARDS
INDUSTRY
LIABILITIES
LIZARDS
MANAGEMENT
NEW MEXICO
OIL FIELDS
OILS
PLUGGING
REMOVAL
ROADS
SAND
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES
SURFACES
TESTING
UNITS
US DOE FIELD OFFICES
WELLS
WHO
WORK
Wells
New Mexico.
Oil recovery
Oil wells.