Two significant earthquakes struck the Permian Basin, the leading U.S. oilfield, this week, shaking the Texas oil industry and reigniting concerns over water disposal practices linked to seismic activity. A magnitude 5.0 quake occurred on February 14, followed by a 4.7-magnitude quake on Tuesday in Culberson County, West Texas, as confirmed by the United States Geological Survey.
These quakes took place in a region under close scrutiny by the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) due to increased seismic activity associated with fracking. Injecting saltwater, a byproduct of oil and gas production, into disposal wells has been connected to rising earthquake occurrences in states like Texas and Oklahoma. Regulators in both states have implemented restrictions on wastewater injection to mitigate seismic risks.
The most recent quakes may accelerate ongoing water disposal initiatives in the Basin, said Kelly Bennett, CEO of B3 Insight, an oilfield water intelligence consultancy. Among these projects is WaterBridge’s planned infrastructure in the Delaware Basin, capable of handling 600,000 barrels of produced water daily for BPX over the next decade.
According to Laura Capper of EnergyMakers, the RRC is considering stricter policies for new saltwater disposal wells, focusing on injection pressures and seismicity monitoring. In January 2023, the RRC prohibited saltwater injection in the Northern Culberson-Reeves Seismic Response Area after a spate of earthquakes, including one as strong as magnitude 5.2. While seismic activity in the area has since declined, further curtailments may be implemented following this week’s events.
Source: Swifteradio.com
