NETL researchers will detail how the lab is helping to mitigate a contributor to climate change during the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) Orphan, Idle and Leaking Wells workshop, to be held Feb. 21-22, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Orphan wells refer to long-abandoned oil and gas operations that were sometimes drilled before environmental laws were enacted and no longer have a responsible operator. Some orphaned wells were never documented on public maps and records. These wells can be found all over the country and sometimes continue to leak methane into the atmosphere many decades after they were first installed.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, so finding, characterizing and documenting these wells is an important step to further the Biden Administration’s emissions reduction goals to cut methane emissions by 30% compared with 2020 levels by 2030.

“NETL is using cutting-edge technology to help achieve those goals,” said Natalie Pekney, Ph.D., the Lab’s lead natural gas infrastructure emissions quantification researcher. “This includes the use of drones and airborne magnetic surveys to detect the unique magnetic signatures of steel well casings and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to identify topographic anomalies indicative of even older, wooden casings.”

Barbara Kutchko, Ph.D., a renowned NETL petroleum geologist and senior research scientist, is an AAPG committee member and co-organizer for the event and invited Pekney and other fellow NETL researchers to share their expertise during the workshop.

“NETL is doing important work in this area and has much to offer the workshop participants,” Kutchko said.

The workshop will bring together industry practitioners, government and state agencies, nonprofit and academic institutions in a first-of-its-kind event that will spark new ideas, motivate interdisciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration and support the establishment of best practices for cleaning up and repurposing wells across the nation.

Registration for the workshop is open to the public. More information can be found here.

Since its founding in 1917, AAPG has been a pillar of the worldwide scientific community. The original purpose of AAPG, to foster scientific research, to advance the science of geology, to promote technology, and to inspire high professional conduct, still guides the association today.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.