Regulatory Intelligence
If a well has pressure after abandonment work, is it considered abandoned?
Category:
Well Abandonment
Research Basis
Archive Period
2017-2022
Records Reviewed
6
Primary Topics
Directive 020; Well Abandonment; Non-Routine Abandonment; Variance Requests; Zonal Abandonment; Closure Programs
Current Reference
AER Directive 020
Common Question
If a well has pressure after abandonment work, is it considered abandoned?
Archive Findings
Not necessarily. The archive includes a direct historical discussion where a well had undergone abandonment work but still had pressure and had not yet been cut and capped. The regulatory response distinguished that situation from a completed abandoned well. The correspondence stated that the well was not an abandoned well and that the pressure could be caused by a leaking cement plug or casing failure. The same correspondence also makes an important terminology distinction. The term leaking well was described as applying to wells with surface casing vent flow and/or gas migration, not simply any well with pressure after abandonment operations. The relevant issue in the archived example was more specifically described as a failed abandonment plug or leaking abandonment cement plug. The archive therefore supports a practical distinction: a well that has had abandonment operations performed is not necessarily complete from a regulatory or engineering perspective if pressure remains unresolved and the well has not been cut and capped.
Engineering Insight
The practical engineering lesson is that abandonment success should be evaluated by whether isolation has actually been achieved, not simply by whether abandonment operations were attempted or a report was submitted. If pressure remains in the wellbore, the source of pressure needs to be understood and repaired before final abandonment steps are completed. This is a useful reminder for legacy file reviews. A record showing that abandonment work occurred does not automatically prove that the well reached a final compliant state. Engineers should check the pressure-test outcome, cut-and-cap status, and any follow-up work required to address plug leakage, casing failure, SCVF, or gas migration.
Current Guidance
Current abandonment, pressure testing, SCVF/GM, and well integrity requirements should be reviewed against the current version of AER Directive 020 and any applicable current AER requirements for surface casing vent flow, gas migration, and casing integrity reporting.