Skip to content

Gish A31 - Caddo Parrish, Louisiana

60,635 CO2 Tonnes Eliminated

Located in the Caddo-Pine Island Field, located in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana, was the first very large oil and gas field discovered in Louisiana. This orphaned Gish A 31 well (LA-224093, APN 170-17-3301) was drilled in 2000 to a depth of approximately 785 feet. This orphan well is located in the Five Bayous critical wildlife habitat that is fed from Caddo Lake, an internationally protected wetlands area.. The well was spudded on June 3, 2000 and drilling commenced on June 28, 2000 into the Nacatoch formation.. The well was operational from August, 2000 until September, 2019 when the last operator went out of business and the well formally became an orphan and the responsibility of the State of Louisiana.

The first recorded use of natural gas in the area, in the late 1800’s with the Shreveport Ice Plant well where gas was used for illumination.  The earliest oil pipeline in the northern Louisiana area was completed in 1910 by Standard Oil of Louisiana, connecting the oilfield to Standard’s Baton Rouge refinery.  More exploratory wells quickly followed and by 1910 almost 25,000 people were working in and around Oil City, which became the first “wildcat town” in the Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas region.

The Approval to Plug (Reference Number 385-22-1) required filling the wellbore from 758 feet to the surface, running a minimum of 50 feet of cement into the annulus, cutting 5 feet below ground, and then plugging to the surface.  A local plugging company was contracted to perform the plugging work on June 17, 2022.  The Lease Facility Inspection Report was issued by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Office of Conservation on September 18, 2023 and was deemed compliant - the well was plugged, no discharge of E&P was detected, no fire hazards were observed, and the site was restored. 
​
CarbonPath Registry and Methodology
Two 2-hour continuous monitoring events prior to well plugging by a Qualified Measurement Specialist, industry-leading flowmeters and lab-verified methane concentration


Benefits & Accomplishments
60,635 CO2 Tonnes Eliminated
5 United Nation Envision 2030 Goals Achieved 
         -  Improved water quality  -  Air quality improvement
         -  Environmental restoration  -  Local jobs creation
 -  Community outreach  - Environmental justice

United Nations Envision 2030 Goals

E_WEB_06_200x200

Goal 6:

Clean Water and Sanitation

Met by improving water quality, reducing pollution and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials into groundwater. Plugging of the orphan well supports improvement in ir and water quality.

E_WEB_09_200x200

Goal 9 :

Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Met via the use of flow metering processes which can be used to retrofit industries, making them sustainable, improving resource utilization, and expanding the adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies. The technology can be used in developing countries and with mobile capabilities, can be monitored globally using cloud technologies.

E_WEB_11_200x200

Goal 11:

Sustainable Cities and Communities

Met by providing access to safe, inclusive, accessible public housing for women, older persons and persons with disabilities by plugging an orphaned well that emitted methane where they resided.

E_WEB_12_200x200

Goal 12:

Responsible Consumption and Production

Met through the project providing sound management of orphaned oil and gas well and methane emissions in accordance with agreed international frameworks, permanently reducing their release to air, water-minimizing their adverse impacts on human health and the environment through prevention of future emissions.

E_WEB_13_200x200

Goal 13:

Climate Action

Met via the innovative measurement technologies being used in the project were invented to anticipate and meet climate goals -continuing to be refined and its use expanded across many locations.