| Title | WELL EXAMINATION IN NEW ZEALAND |
|---|---|
| Authors | C. Finnegan |
| Year | 2015 |
| Conference | New Zealand Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | |
| Abstract | The principle upon which well activities have been based in established drilling regions for the past 20+ years is an objective based approach to identify and mitigate risks to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). In light of recent high profile well control events there is current industry wide renewed focus on assuring and verifying well delivery against this approach. The process of Well Examination has been a legal requirement and a proven part of the UK’s Oil & Gas regulations since 1996 and is now receiving increased international attention as part of a renewed focus on well design and well operations assurance. In June 2013, Well Examination became a legal requirement as part of the New Zealand HSE regulations. New Zealand is only the second country to legally require every Operator to implement a Well Examination scheme. Of late, there have been high level discussions held on the application of a similar initiative within the Geothermal industry. Should this be adopted, all New Zealand’s Geothermal well operators will be required to ensure that every well is Well Examined to verify that it is designed, constructed and maintained in a safe condition throughout its life from initial design to final abandonment. Well Examination must be performed by someone who is sufficiently knowledgeable, experienced and is competent to carry out such tasks. The Well Examiner must be independent of line management for the well operations and must always remain impartial. This paper reviews New Zealand’s recent experience of introducing Well Examination schemes across a range of Operators and the likely impact on Geothermal Operators. Areas addressed in this paper include: • Who owns the Scheme – the Operator or the Regulator? • Whose standards to use? • To what detail should Well Examination be performed? • What wells are included? • Independence and competence of the Well Examiner • ALARP Principle • Timing of the process • Auditing of the Well Examination Scheme |