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Permalink Reply by Rock Man on May 21, 2022 at 4:07

The nature of the beast in the Austin Chalk in this area is high pressure and massive water volume tied to natural fracturing. The initial flush O&G production is positive for economics early in productive well life but the apparent rapid O&G decline while with continued high-water volumes just doesn't work.

This is not a local event - seems to be widespread over a relatively large area based on historical drilling results.

One thing we don't know are what the monthly costs are for the operator to produce, handle and dispose of these huge water volumes. I am sure that they are eventually going straight to one or more disposal wells (probably injecting into shallower Wilcox sands) but at these water rates, individual injection / disposal intervals will get "filled up" and there will be the need to plug back the disposal well to move to another zone.

I don't have a good idea of what it costs to drill an SWD / injection well but am figuring around one million dollars for the well and equipment. Then operating costs on top of that. Every time one needs to plug back a well to go to another disposal zone adds big workover expense.

High oil and gas prices help - but eventually these operations will become a money churn and eventually go uneconomic.

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