Three Types of Oil and Gas Drilling Wells to be Preserved from September 10, 2020

03 types of oil and gas wells to be preserved from September 10, 2020 (Illustration)

To be specific, in Article 8 of Circular 17/2020/TT-BCT the regulation stipulates 03 types of oil and gas wells to be preserved as follows:

- Type 1: Wells for long-term preservation (3 years or more), including wells whose research results show they can be used for economically viable extraction but no usage plan has been determined.- Type 2: Wells for temporary preservation (1 to 3 years), including wells within the extraction plan but categorized as backup.- Type 3: Short-term maintenance wells (less than 1 year), including wells currently in use but temporarily halted for repair or preparation for use.

The operator must ensure that when a part or the whole of the wells needing preservation fall under types 1 and 2, the wells must always be filled with a solution with sufficient density to control the existing formation pressure in the wells before proceeding with the preservation operations. The preservation solution must be treated to prevent equipment corrosion.

Additionally, this Circular also stipulates the operator's responsibility to periodically inspect the preserved wells as follows:

- Annually for wells needing preservation type 1.- Quarterly for wells needing preservation type 2.- Monthly for wells needing preservation type 3.

Note: The operator is responsible for bringing type 1 preserved wells into operation or decommissioning the wells within the permissible preservation period, but not exceeding 6 years from the date of preservation.

For more details, refer to Circular 17/2020/TT-BCT effective from September 10, 2020.

Ty Na

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