Promethean Energy, an oil and gas company focused on stewarding mature assets, has started work on the temporary abandonment of nine orphan wells in the Matagorda Island lease area in the Gulf of Mexico on behalf of the U.S. Federal government.
Promethean was awarded a five-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to conduct the on-site decommissioning activities to address the most immediate and urgent needs representing safety and environmental hazards of orphan wells and infrastructure, for which no prior owner survives.
The work is being undertaken for the Department of Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).
After months of detailed preparation and liaison with BSEE, Promethean has now undertaken a drone-based, laser scan offshore inspection of the platforms.
The purpose was to digitalize the structures and identify the condition of equipment to develop safe boarding plans and make safe procedures.
Temporary abandonment of wells is the first stage of full decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure.
The next phase is to undertake repairs to platforms and wellhead equipment to enable decommissioning. This will be followed by well diagnostics testing and well decommissioning itself.
“We are very proud to have been able to start work and contribute to this project of strategic national importance commissioned by BSEE,” said Steve Louis, Promethean's SVP Decommissioning.