Since 2011, Havtil has conducted biennial surveys to map the well integrity of temporarily abandoned wells. The findings are made publicly available as anonymised data.
The THREE60 Energy AS company was engaged to compile a report in the wake of the 2024 data collection, in which 488 wells were reported. Of the 488, 241 were inactive production wells. In comparison, in 2022, 227 wells were reported.
The increase in reported wells is mainly due to the fact that the collection in 2024 includes both temporarily plugged and abandoned wells in accordance with NORSOK D-010 Rev.5/2021 and inactive production wells in accordance with the EU Methane Regulation of July 2024.
It has not been determined whether the EU regulation on the reduction of methane emissions in the energy sector will be EEA-relevant. A public hearing for Norway is now in progress under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy.
In 2024, the operators reported temporarily abandoned wells in different well-integrity categories, with associated colour coding according to Offshore Norge’s guidelines 117, and classification according to NORSOK standard D-010 for temporarily plugged and abandoned wells with or without continuous monitoring.
Red and orange wells
The findings in this year’s survey show that the number of wells in the orange and red categories has increased from 17 in 2022 to 33 in 2024. For wells categorised as red or orange, companies must implement measures to ensure regulatory compliance. Havtil monitors that the companies are implementing the plans they have reported for these wells.
Wells in the red category have a failure in one well barrier, while the other well barrier is degraded. Similarly, wells in the orange category have a failure in one well barrier, while the other well barrier is intact.
The future plans for these wells are that all red wells are planned to be permanently plugged by 2025. For the orange wells, it has been reported that they are either to be reused or permanently plugged or that they have an undetermined plan.
Requirements on the companies
- Well integrity and safety are the responsibility of the companies. Havtil expects the companies to comply with the regulatory requirements and ensure that the activity is conducted safely.
- For wells categorised as red or orange, the companies must implement measures to ensure regulatory compliance.
- Where there is a breach in a well barrier, plans must be put in motion to restore the well barrier.
- Havtil monitors the companies closely to ensure that temporarily plugged and abandoned wells are dealt with properly and safely.
- For subsea-completed wells, well integrity must be monitored if wells are planned to be abandoned for more than twelve months. Exploration wells must not be temporarily abandoned beyond two years.*
- In production wells, hydrocarbon-carrying zones must be plugged and permanently abandoned within three years if the well is not continuously monitored.*
*The requirements apply to exploration and production wells started after 1.1.2014.
Future plans
The survey shows that 156 out of 488 wells are planned to be permanently plugged and abandoned by 2030. For close to 200 of the wells, slot recovery or a return to production/injection is planned.
Positive trend
The 2024 survey shows positive trends in maintaining well integrity despite the significant increase in the number of wells reported. The proportion of wells in each integrity category remains consistent with the 2022 figure, which is a positive result in terms of overall well safety.
The focus going forward is follow-up of wells with degraded well integrity status (red and orange wells).
For more information, see the attached report.