Title 30

SECTION 250.1721

250.1721 If I temporarily abandon a well that I plan to re-enter, what must I do

§ 250.1721 If I temporarily abandon a well that I plan to re-enter, what must I do?

You may temporarily abandon a well when it is necessary for proper development and production of a lease. To temporarily abandon a well, you must do all of the following:

(a) Submit form BSEE-0124, Application for Permit to Modify, and the applicable information required by § 250.1712 to the appropriate District Manager and receive approval;

(b) Adhere to the plugging and testing requirements for permanently plugged wells listed in the table in § 250.1715, except for § 250.1715(a)(8). You do not need to sever the casings, remove the wellhead, or clear the site;

(c) Set a bridge plug or a cement plug at least 100-feet long at the base of the deepest casing string, unless the casing string has been cemented and has not been drilled out. If a cement plug is set, it is not necessary for the cement plug to extend below the casing shoe into the open hole;

(d) Set a retrievable or a permanent-type bridge plug or a cement plug at least 100 feet long in the inner-most casing. The top of the bridge plug or cement plug must be no more than 1,000 feet below the mud line. BSEE may consider approving alternate requirements for subsea wells case-by-case;

(e) Identify and report subsea wellheads, casing stubs, or other obstructions that extend above the mud line according to U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) requirements;

(f) Except in water depths greater than 300 feet, protect subsea wellheads, casing stubs, mud line suspensions, or other obstructions remaining above the seafloor by using one of the following methods, as approved by the District Manager or Regional Supervisor:

(1) A caisson designed according to 30 CFR 250, subpart I, and equipped with aids to navigation;

(2) A jacket designed according to 30 CFR 250, subpart I, and equipped with aids to navigation; or

(3) A subsea protective device that meets the requirements in § 250.1722.

(g) Submit certification by a Registered Professional Engineer of the well abandonment design and procedures and that all plugs meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section. In addition to the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, the Registered Professional Engineer must also certify the design will include two independent barriers, one of which must be a mechanical barrier, in the center wellbore as described in § 250.420(b)(3). The Registered Professional Engineer must be registered in a State of the United States and have sufficient expertise and experience to perform the certification. You must submit this certification with your APM (Form BSEE-0124) required by § 250.1712 of this part.

[76 FR 64462, Oct. 18, 2011, as amended at 77 FR 50900, Aug. 22, 2012; 81 FR 26038, Apr. 29, 2016]

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