Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Developer Introduces New Rig

As the U.S. continues to work towards energy independence, one Western Slope energy developer says its latest innovation will open up stores of natural gas that could never be reached before -- all while minimizing impacts to land. When it comes to heating America's homes and providing a possible bridge fuel of the future, natural gas drillers say they're constantly having to overcome new challenges. And for Williams Energy, one of the biggest obstacles is Colorado's rugged terrain. "It's one thing to have an area where you know there's natural gas, but when you're in the Rocky Mountains it can be another thing to actually get to that location," said Susan Alvillar, Community Relations Representative for Williams Energy. What they came up with -- the Nabors Sundowner split rig. "Our core intention was to have part of the rig here and part on a lower pad," said Robert Brown, Drilling Superintendent for Williams Production. "In other words, have two smaller pads."
Williams says the rig will be able to drill 20 wells on the small, narrow pad where it's located -- a space they had already been leasing. "We can drill so many more wells on one site instead of making a number of sites," said Brown. And they say they can do more of it without disturbing additional land...more

No comments: