Aquaterra Energy has launched its legacy well re-entry and re-abandonment services along with its new patent-pending recoverable abandonment frame (RAF). The solution will address challenges in locating, re-entering and re-abandoning legacy wells that penetrate, or pass through, offshore oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers that have been earmarked to be repurposed for carbon dioxide (CO2) or hydrogen storage.

The economic and technical challenges of re-abandoning problematic legacy wells that pose a leak risk beneath the seabed could derail many carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen storage projects, that intend to use previously penetrated oil and gas or saline aquifer formations.

Aquaterra’s technology is intended for repeated use across multiple wells or locations with flexibility built in for differing seabed conditions. Its modular design allows for shipping worldwide or road transport for quayside assembly. This could enable the effective abandonment or re-abandonment of wells that may not have been previously possible, while also significantly lowering costs, saving operators £18-20 million (€21-23 million) per abandoned well, an estimated 80% reduction in comparison to other methods currently deployed. The approach could also lead to major reductions in project timelines, estimated to be up to 50% quicker per well.

Ben Cannell, innovation director at Aquaterra Energy says: ‘The RAF and our associated suite of services for legacy well re-entry represents a significant leap forward in abandonment technology. Well re-abandonment for CCS is a new challenge, and our solution has been developed to meet it head-on. By reducing project risk, costs and operational time, we’re not only making well abandonment more efficient, but also enabling the viability of carbon or hydrogen storage, as these projects would generally be far more costly or even impossible to deliver.’