A magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred eight kilometers northwest of Prague, Oklahoma, on February 3 at 05.24 UTC, the U.S. Geological Survey web site revealed.
In an announcement posted on its web site just lately, the Oklahoma Company Fee (OKC) famous that its Oil and Fuel Conservation Division has issued a directive for a change within the operations of some oil and gasoline wastewater disposal wells, “as its preliminary response to mitigate the danger of additional seismic exercise close to the Prague space of Lincoln County”.
“All disposal wells which can be permitted to dispose into the Arbuckle formation and are in an space inside 10 miles of the February 3, 2024, 5.1 magnitude earthquake are directed to start the shutdown of operations, with a shutdown to be full by February 17,” the OKC stated within the assertion.
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“The gradual shutdown course of is critical to keep away from sudden strain modifications that would end in extra seismic exercise,” it added.
Within the assertion, the OKC highlighted that the Arbuckle formation is the state’s deepest formation. Oil and gasoline wastewater disposal into the Arbuckle formation has been linked to seismic exercise in elements of the state, in accordance with the OKC.
“It ought to be pressured that that this motion is an preliminary response. Additional research might end in new directives,” the OKC stated within the assertion.
Rigzone has contacted the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma (PAO), the Oklahoma Vitality Producers Alliance (OEPA), and the Pure Fuel & Vitality Affiliation of Oklahoma (NGEAO) for touch upon the OKC assertion. On the time of writing, not one of the commerce teams have responded to Rigzone but.
In 2022, Oklahoma was the fifth-largest producer of marketed pure gasoline and the sixth-largest producer of crude oil in america, in accordance with an Oklahoma state vitality profile web page on the U.S. Vitality Data Administration (EIA) web site, which was final up to date in June 2023.
As of January 2022, Oklahoma had 5 operable petroleum refineries with a mixed every day processing capability of just about 524,000 barrels per calendar day, the EIA web page notes, highlighting that that is three % of the overall U.S. crude oil refining capability.
The benchmark worth within the home spot marketplace for the U.S. crude oil generally known as West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is about at Cushing, Oklahoma, which is house to about 14 % of the nation’s industrial crude oil storage capability, the EIA web page states.
In an announcement posted on its website in Could final 12 months, the OKC revealed it had issued a directive lowering the quantity of oil and gasoline wastewater allowed to be disposed inside a ten mile space of a magnitude 4.0 earthquake within the Carney space.
“The directive applies to 23 disposal wells which inject into the Arbuckle formation,” the OKC famous on the time, including that “these Arbuckle disposal wells working inside six miles of the 4.0 earthquake location are to close down indefinitely”.
“Arbuckle disposal wells working with the six to 10 mile space from the earthquake could have their injected volumes restricted,” the OKC stated in that assertion.
“Disposal wells which have a mean injection of 500 barrels a day or much less within the newest 30 day interval should not exceed that common. Disposal wells with common volumes over 500 barrels a day should scale back quantity by 50 %,” it added.
“The quantity reductions and shut-ins will likely be phased-in over a 4 week interval with the intention to keep away from a sudden change of strain which theoretically may enhance the danger of a seismic occasion,” the OKC continued.
The OKC describes itself as a regulatory company for the state of Oklahoma with emphasis on the gas, oil and gasoline, public utilities, and transportation industries.
PAO describes itself as a newly shaped oil and pure gasoline commerce affiliation created by the merger of the Oklahoma Unbiased Petroleum Affiliation and the Oklahoma Oil & Fuel Affiliation. OEPA is the one state oil and gasoline affiliation that particularly promotes and protects the rights of vertical oil and gasoline producers in Oklahoma, in accordance with its website.
NGEAO is a non-profit membership affiliation comprised of upstream, midstream, and downstream vitality trade professionals who depend on Oklahoma’s pure vitality sources as their main enterprise, the group states on its website.
To contact the writer, e mail andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
