CX-100547 Categorical Exclusion Determination

Recovery Act: Technical Demonstration and Economic Validation of Geothermally-Produced Electricity from Coproduced Water at Existing Oil/Gas Wells in Texas
Award Number: DE-EE0002853
CX(s) Applied: B3.7
Geothermal Technology Office
Date: 07/31/2014
Location(s): TX
Office(s): Golden Field Office

Universal GeoPower LLC (UGP) would demonstrate the technical feasibility and economic viability of geothermal electricity production from oil/gas (O/G) coproduced water using binary Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology to utilize a small production O/G well that is considered unproductive due to the cost of separating and re-injecting the coproduced water associated with the hydrocarbon production and has therefore been “orphaned” awaiting well plugging and well site remediation. No laboratory work is needed for the project. This project was originally approved by GFO-10-309 on May 25, 2010. After the initial approval, the recipient changed the project location therefore another NEPA Determination (GFO-0002853-002) was completed on November 19, 2010 for the new location. As part of Task 3, existing wells were going to be reworked to be used for brine production and disposal. It has been determined that well rework for brine disposal would not be in the best interest of the project, so the project has been modified to include the drilling of a new well for brine disposal. This change necessitates a new NEPA review.

All project activities remain unchanged except for the drilling of a new well. The new well would be drilled on the existing Scott #3 well pad within a developed field utilizing the Eagle Ford Shale for production and the Wilcox Formation for injection. The project site is located at approximately Latitude 28 46' 0" N, Longitude 97 37' 14" W in Goliad County, Texas. UGP has surface, subsurface, and geothermal rights to the site. The new eight inch injection well would be drilled with a truck mounted rig with a rig height of 82 feet. No new surface disturbance is anticipated as a result of the drilling. Drilling is planned for late July or early August and would require 4 to 6 days to complete. The new injection well would be approximately 4500 feet deep to dispose of heat depleted brine, in accordance with the Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC) requirements for such a well. The well would be located on the pad according to the TRRC permit, and the brine would be injected into a TRRC approved layer in the new well. UGP has applied for a new TRRC well permit to drill the well as a 'wildcat well'. After the well is drilled, the data about the various layers encountered while drilling will be used to support an application to the TRRC to use this well to dispose of the heat depleted brine generated by the Scott #3 well that has been re-worked to produce geothermal brine for use in an electric generating power plant. The TRRC issued permit will indicate which layer(s) are approved for brine injection, and dictate the parameters of such injection. The deepest ground water aquifers in the vicinity of this project are at 1650 feet below the surface. TRRC regulated 'Plug and Abandon' procedures will be used at the end of the project lifetime. There are no wetlands or floodplains in the area and due to the existing disturbance of the well pad, no cultural resources are anticipated.