Texas's Gas Glut Is So Bad Drillers Are Pumping It Down Wells

Pressurized natural gas thrust into older wells to unpin oil
EOG, four others testing method to put 25% of gas to work

Machinery used to fracture shale formations stands at a hydraulic fracking site near Mentone, Texas.Photographer: Matthew Busch/Bloomberg

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By Naureen S Malik

June 7, 2019 at 10:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Texas drillers may have found a solution to the stubborn natural gas glut that’s forced them to either burn it off into the air, or pay others to take it away.

At least five producers, led by EOG Resources Inc., are experimenting with shooting highly-pressurized natural gas into past-their-prime wells that have seen their output slip. The wells are then capped to build up pressure inside with the aim of dislodging any oil still hiding in the rock.