Operators are expected to use more reused and recycled water at hydraulic fracturing jobs in Texas in the coming years as they deal with ever-increasing produced water volumes, according to a new report from an industry group.
Data on the use of water reuse in oil and gas operations can be hard to certify and varies from operator to operator and basin to basin, according to the report from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.
"Data on current produced water recycling volumes in Texas are not compiled and reported publicly; up-to-date data are hard to come by," the Alliance said in the report.
While some sources showed recycle and reuse only makes up a "negligible" portion of the Texas water management market, another showed reuse exceeds 10% in the prolific Permian basin of western Texas while barely making a dent in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville plays further east. Meanwhile, Permian operator Pioneer Natural Resources has said it uses 15% treated water in fracturing fluids, while EOG claims to use 20% and Apache, 30%.
"Regardless of the exact percentage, the data point to consistent and growing uses of treated produced water in oil and gas operations," according to the report.
Reuse is seen as a viable alternative to the "default" injection wells of the Texas oil and gas industry and is expected to become more constrained with more produced water volumes. According to the report, some Permian sub-basins are already constrained due to insufficient injection well capacity.
"Projected production growth will worsen the situation," the Alliance said.
However, the Texas Alliance does not see disposal wells becoming obsolete.
"Current as well as existing and emerging tertiary treatment technologies reviewed in the report can support cost-effective recycle and reuse in the oil and gas field," according to the Alliance.
"However, none are 'silver bullet' technologies that will lower costs to a degree that disposal wells would be obsolete. Disposal options must be considered and maintained."
