| (3) Construction and maintenance data. The operator
shall retain for the life of the facility documents and records pertaining
to the drilling, mining, completion, repair and workover of storage
wells and the testing of storage well integrity, and shall transfer
all such documents and records to any new owner and/or new operator
of the facility.
(4) Extension during investigation. The operator shall
retain beyond the prescribed retention period any documents or records
that contain operational data pertaining to the resolution of any
pending regulatory enforcement proceedings until the resolution of
such proceedings.
(o) Testing and maintenance.
(1) Integrity tests. Each gas storage well shall be
tested for integrity prior to being placed into service, at least
once every five years, and after each workover that involves physical
changes to any cemented casing string. The following requirements
apply to such integrity tests.
(A) A test procedure shall be filed with the Commission
for approval at least 10 days before the test date.
(B) The initial test conducted on a well prior to placing
it into service shall be performed using the nitrogen-interface test
method or an alternative method approved by the Commission or its
designee.
(C) The integrity test required to be conducted at
least once every five years on a well that has gas in storage may
be performed using pressure monitoring, provided:
(i) the wellhead pressure is stabilized such that the
effects of ambient temperature on pressure have overtaken the effects
of the last injection or withdrawal on pressure;
(ii) a downhole temperature log is run at the beginning
and at the end of the test period;
(iii) the test period is a minimum of 72 hours; and
(iv) the net gas volume change for the test period
is calculated.
(D) The operator shall notify the district office at
least five days prior to conducting any integrity test.
(E) A complete record of each integrity test shall
be filed in duplicate with the district office within 30 days after
testing is completed. The record shall include a chronology of the
test, copies of all downhole logs, storage well completion information,
pressure readings, volume measurements, temperature logs and readings,
and an explanation of the test results that addresses the precision
of the test in terms of a calculated leak rate.
(2) Alternative monitoring. An operator may request
the Commission or its designee to approve well pressure monitoring
as an alternative to integrity testing for storage wells that are
out of gas storage service. An out-of-service well shall be tested
for integrity by the nitrogen-interface method before it may be returned
to storage service.
(3) Storage wellhead and casing. Storage wellhead components
and casing shall be inspected at least once every 15 years for corrosion,
cracks, deformations, or other conditions that may compromise integrity
and that may not be detected by the five-year test. The operator may
request an extension of up to five years from the Commission for good
cause. Factors the Commission may consider in determining good cause
pursuant to this paragraph include by are not limited to the age,
location, and configuration of the well; well and facility history;
operator compliance record; operator efforts to comply with this subsection;
and accuracy of inventory control.
(4) Fresh water, brine, and gas surface piping. Within
one year of the effective date of this section, the operator shall
submit a piping integrity management plan for approval by the Commission
or its designee. Within three years of the effective date of this
section, or in conjunction with the storage well integrity testing,
all gas, freshwater, and brine surface piping shall be maintained
according to the facility's piping integrity management plan.
(p) Plugging.
(1) Plug on abandonment. A gas storage well shall be
plugged upon permanent abandonment in a manner approved by the Commission
or its designee. A proposal for plugging shall be submitted to the
Commission in Austin for approval or modification prior to plugging.
Following approval of a plugging plan, the operator shall file notification
of intent to plug at least five days prior to commencement of plugging
operations. A plugging report shall be filed with the Commission within
30 days after plugging.
(2) Alternative monitoring. As an alternative to plugging
a gas storage well that has been permanently deactivated, an operator
may request approval by the Commission or its designee of a plan to
convert the well to a monitor well. A pressure monitoring plan must
be submitted to the Commission along with the request to convert the
well to a monitoring well.
(q) Penalties.
(1) Penalties. Violations of this section may subject
the operator to penalties and remedies specified in Texas Natural
Resources Code, Title 3; Texas Utilities Code, Chapter 121; and other
statutes administered by the Commission.
(2) Certificate of compliance. The certificate of compliance
for any underground gas storage facility may be revoked in the manner
provided in §3.73 of this title (relating to Pipeline Connection;
Cancellation of Certificate of Compliance; Severance) for violation
of this section.
(r) Applicability of other Commission rules and orders.
The owner or operator of an underground gas storage facility is not
relieved by this section of compliance with any other requirement
of Chapters 3, 4, 7, or 8 of this title (relating to Oil and Gas Division;
Environmental Protection; Gas Services Division; or Pipeline Safety
Regulations).
|
| Source Note: The provisions of this §3.97 adopted to be effective January 1, 1994, 18 TexReg 8871; amended to be effective November 24, 2004, 29 TexReg 10728; amended to be effective January 30, 2007, 32 TexReg 289; amended to be effective July 2, 2012, 37 TexReg 4892 |
