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5 min ago 2 min read
Helium exploration company Helix Exploration can restart operations at its Rudyard facility in Montana with immediate effect, after securing an exemption from the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (MBOGC).
It comes after the MBOGC ordered Helix’s Hereford Resources subsidiary to after observing compliance issues at its Darwin #1 and Weil 1 operations, including gas being vented in connection with production from the wells.
Following a hearing held on 15 October, the MBOGC has granted an exemption, subject to standard periodic gas composition review, allowing Helix to vent waste gas.
Helix said the waste gas at Rudyard is primarily nitrogen.
Under Montana state rules, waste of gas from a gas well is prohibited. The state also requires waste gas to be burned unless otherwise authorised by the board.
Now that the MBOGC has granted an exemption, Helix has initiated the process of restarting the wells and production facility.
The company expects to start filling tube trailers on a continuous rotation basis in the coming days, in accordance with its with an unnamed industrial gases group.
Bo Sears, CEO of Helix, previously said, “Being the first mover in a buoyant and developing market gives us a significant strategic advantage, but it also means operating in an evolving regulatory environment where certain legislation is not yet clearly defined.”
Helix is now continuing to expand Rudyard through a drilling and processing capacity programme, having recently of its Ollie 1 well.
