NEAR CONVERSE — Chesapeake Energy’s emergency response teams are still at the scene of a natural gas well blowout that happened Tuesday evening in north Sabine Parish.
They and other well control specialists are making “good progress towards restoring control of the well,” said J. Kevin McCotter, Chesapeake’s corporate development director.
Louisiana state police and Louisiana Department of Natural Resources also are closely monitoring progress at the site, which is located about a half-mile off of state Highway 174 approximately 6 miles east of Converse.
No injuries were reported when the gas started blowing into the air around 5:30 p.m. Additionally, no evacuations in the isolated area were deemed necessary, nor are any roads closed.
“There has also been no threat to the public or environment and air quality is continuously being monitored as a precaution,” McCotter said. “Chesapeake’s priorities are to contain the incident and protect the health and safety of the public, the environment and employees and contractors.”
The cause of the incident is under investigation and extent of the damage is still being assessed.
No injuries reported, no evacuations ordered at site east of Converse
By Vickie Welborn • vwelborn@gannett.com • July 8, 2009
NEAR CONVERSE – No injuries were reported and no evacuations were required Tuesday evening in connection with a natural gas well blowout in north Sabine Parish.
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The “well control incident” at a Chesapeake Energy well site occurred around 5:30 p.m. about a half-mile off of state Highway 174 approximately six miles east of Converse, said J. Kevin McCotter, Chesapeake’s corporate development director.
The company’s emergency response teams are on site, along with other well control specialists. “Chesapeake's priorities are to contain the incident and protect the health and safety of the public, the environment and employees and contractors,” McCotter stated in an email to The Times around 12:30 a.m. today.
Evacuations in the isolated area were not deemed necessary by first responders and law enforcement agencies. Air quality is being monitored.
Roads in the area also remain open.
“Currently, action is being taken to restore control of the well. The cause of the incident is under investigation and extent of the damage is still being assessed,” McCotter said.
The blowout of the Nabors Logan 27H-1 well is the second in as many months for Chesapeake. On May 8, the Nabors 10H-1 well in the Naborton community in southeast DeSoto Parish started spewing natural gas into the air and prompted the evacuations of 15 families for almost 48 hours. The incident happened as contractors were preparing the well for the final stages of completion.
Check this site later this morning and throughout the day for more updates on the situation.
Serial #239443 - NABORS LOGAN 27 H
04/27/2009 09 17317 WAITING ON COMPLETION
Earlene
Disclaimer: That is IF the times has the well name correct :-P
Jay, there are only three Chesapeake wells in Sabine Parish. One on production, one not yet spudded and the one above that was "waiting on completion" in April. Looks like they were completing.
I drove by it yesterday and took the attached photo. Not sure why it looks like black smoke. Next to the well site entrance it is very loud and what smells like rotten eggs.
The photo was taken off Hwy 174 about a mile east of the site.
This is one reason you don't want to be umi or working interest. The well will be brought under control, the UMi and WI will pay the bills. The RI only has to sit tight and hope it happens sooner than later.
How bout a well that was producing having NO casing other than surface?? The state even signed off on this wonderfully tested casing. Well ran this way for almost a year!!! Was only corrected when they figured out why the numbers weren't like they should be and getting wet gas. Would this count as a unreasonable act?
Earlene
Sometimes having a drunk operator is a good thing. For instance, having an operator that has been supplied beer all afternoon makes for the best boiled crawfish. And sometimes dropping random things down the hole is called 'innovation'. I seem to remember someone deciding to use superballs as a proppant on a well in the Rockies some time back.
Seriously, though, what I am getting at is whether such a standard would end up being more of a comparative of the costs and actions of and amongst the various operators, or a more subjective "here it's this, there it's that" type of muddle. For instance, will an operator which has shown great proficiency at operating in the HS be given a 'pass' by the system for a costly 'error' (as an unforeseen 'oops') versus an operator who has a track record of uneven performance and/or higher well costs?
And I think you have better research tools at your disposal to sift through the jurisprudence.