Wellbore Decommissioning Industry Recommended Practice (IRP) provides best practices to perform safe, efficient, permanent wellbore decommissioning while mitigating adverse impacts to the environment and protecting groundwater.
Developer: Drilling & Completions Committee
Sponsor Organizations: Enserva & Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Current Status: Sanctioned | February 2022
February 24, 2022
IRP 27 moves away from the abandonment terminology which suggests the well is left in its existing, possibly unsafe condition. The term "decommissioning" is used instead as it requires a thorough review process to determine the existing state, identify risk(s) and identify steps required to leave the wellbore in a condition that will not present a hazard now or in the future.
The complexity of decommissioning operations depends on the type and state of the well. Some require simple operations while others can be more complex requiring significant effort to manage risk and meet long term objectives. IRP 27 promotes a risk-based approach to improve the analysis of involved risks to making decommissioning efforts more consistent while protecting workers, the public and the environment. IRP 27 references IRP 26: Wellbore Remediation where appropriate and does not duplicate its information.
