Conventional Oil Well and Facility Decommissioning

Challenge

When Shell Oil entered the Appalachian Basin in 2011, it sought comprehensive on-ground support to handle the decommissioning of newly-acquired conventional oil fields in southwest New York and northwest Pennsylvania. Shell retained GZA to determine liability costs and manage the decommissioning and reclamation of their Enterprise field in Limestone, New York.

Solution

GZA acted as a Construction Manager and Environmental Consultant. As a Shell “Mode 2” contractor, GZA managed its own health and safety program and those of its subcontractors.

Field teams conducted preliminary environmental assessments, including test pit excavation, soil and groundwater sampling, asbestos testing, and hazardous materials inventories. GZA identified 176 oil and injection wells, 45 above- and below-ground storage tanks, five waste pits, gathering lines, and support buildings and ancillary equipment.

GZA developed liability costs and budgets for complete decommissioning of the field. The project team wanted to use local contractors, most of whom had never worked under Shell’s rigorous Health and Safety programs. GZA initiated training, certification and awareness programs, and incorporated equipment inspections and upgrades prior to mobilizing to the fields.

Day-to-day on-site operations included four double-pole plugging rigs and crews, tank decommissioning and soil excavation contractors, waste haulers, cementing crews, rigging companies, health and safety supervisors, GZA project managers and supervisors, and support staff. Daily cost tracking allowed the team to adjust operations to improve efficiency and provide Shell real-time budget analysis and forecasts.

Benefit

Shell relied on GZA’s local experience and expertise to successfully decommission this field on time and within budget forecasts. GZA’s robust health and safety program resulted in zero recordable incidents.