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Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (Act No. 28 of 2002)

Regulations

Amendment Regulations to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Regulations, 2020

Chapter 8 : Well Design and Construction

96. Well construction

 

(1) A well, except a stratigraphic well, must be cased according to current industry standards published by the API "5CT Specification for Casing and Tubing" and the casing thread compound and its use must conform to the current API RP 5A3.

 

(2)

(a) A casing installed must have a minimum yield pressure designed to withstand at least 1.2 times the maximum pressure to which the casing may be subjected during drilling, production or hydraulic fracturing operations.
(b) The minimum yield pressure must be based upon engineering calculations as listed in the API "TR 5C -3 Technical Report on Equations and Calculations for Casings, Tubing and Line Pipe used as Casing and Tubing, and Performance Properties Tables for Casing and Tubing ".

 

(3) A holder may not use casing—
(a) that is pitted, patched, bent, corroded, crimped; or
(b) the threads of which are worn or damaged; or
(c) that is reconditioned and that has not passed the approved hydrostatic pressure and drift test pursuant to API "5CT Specification for Testing and Tubing ".

 

(4) A holder must contact the designated agency at least 2 days prior to setting a casing to enable an authorised person to be present when the test is done.

 

(5) A holder may, despite any provision of these Regulations, but subject to subregulations (6) and (7), adopt well construction standards for exploration and production wells other than those provided for in these Regulations.

 

(6) A holder intending to adopt well construction standards as contemplated in subregulation (5) must—
(a) submit detailed information about the proposed well construction standards;
(b) provide a detailed comparative technical assessment of the proposed well construction standards and the standards prescribed under these regulations from an independent drilling engineer; and
(c) show how such well construction standards will enhance higher levels of well integrity as compared with those prescribed under these regulations.

 

(7) A holder may proceed to implement well construction standards as contemplated in subregulation (5) only after receiving written consent from the designated agency.

 

(8) A holder intending to drill stratigraphic wells—
(a) must submit, to the designated agency, its proposed well design and construction standards to be adopted to show that well integrity will be maintained; and
(b) may only proceed with drilling after receiving written approval from the designated agency.

 

[Regulation 96 inserted by section 2 of Notice No. R. 466 dated 3 June 2015]