Totea gas field

Pipe string drilling record

In 2013, a world record in pipe string drilling was set at the Totea gas field. The record was certified by Odfjell Well Services for the Totea 4545 borehole, which was drilled with the 20 in core to a depth of 505 m in the Totea Deep field in Oltenia. This was the first phase of drilling well 4545, whose estimated total depth is 3500 m.

Decline

Over several years, the Totea field was one of the most productive in Petrom's portfolio. But as with any oil and gas field, Totea went into decline after reaching its production plateau in 2017. Things changed in 2018, when a new well was dug, with a depth of 4300 m; investments in the new well and related infrastructure amounted to about €50 million. The well was successfully tested in April 2019, with an output of up to 0.5e6 m3/d. Natural gas from Totea is transported through 25 km of pipelines to the Hurezani hub to be treated and then delivered to the Romanian transmission system.

2023 earthquakes

In 2023, Gorj County was rocked by earthquakes for six consecutive days, representing the most intense seismic activity in the last 200 years in the region (see List of earthquakes in Romania). Some experts were amazed by the events, considering that the region was previously known as an earthquake-free area. A theory began to circulate among the locals that these earthquakes were caused by the deep well drilling (coupled perhaps with fracking) at the Totea gas field. These rumors have not been substantiated, with USR MP Radu-Dinel Miruță denying the use of fracking in the Totea–Hurezani region, and others declaring those rumors to be fake news.

References

References

1. (November 11, 2011). "Petrom ar putea descoperi în Gorj cel mai mare zăcământ de gaze naturale din România". [[Mediafax]].
2. (2011). "Petrom face o descoperire de gaze potential semnificativa in Sud-Vestul Romaniei".
3. (November 2, 2011). "Petrom a pus în producție cea mai mare sondă onshore de gaze și condensat din România". [[Petrom]].
4. Chirileasa, Andrei. (July 4, 2013). "Petrom a stabilit un record mondial la foraje". [[Ziarul Financiar]].
5. (July 5, 2013). "OMV Petrom a stabilit un record mondial în domeniul forajului cu coloana de tubaj".
6. (July 11, 2013). "OMV Petrom sets casing drilling world record at Romania's Totea field". ActMedia.
7. (July 5, 2013). "OMV Petrom Set World Record in Casing Drilling". Vienna International News.
8. (October 9, 2019). "Nou zăcământ de gaze descoperit pe teritoriul României". [[Digi24]].
9. "O nouă descoperire de gaze în regiunea Olteniei, în apropierea zăcământului Totea, aflat în producție". [[Petrom]].
10. (February 19, 2023). "Teorie în cazul cutremurelor din Gorj: Seismele ar putea fi provocate de o exploatare de gaz la mare adâncime a OMV din județ!". [[Ziua]].
11. (February 26, 2023). "Deputat: În Turcia tot din cauza forajelor de la Hurezani a fost cutremurul de mică adâncime?".
12. Goiceanu, Iuliu. (February 22, 2023). "Analiză în urma cutremurelor de la Gorj. "Sunt numai fake-news-uri!"". Gorj Online.