[ DECOMMISSIONING — A DIVISION OF METAMORPHIC HOLDINGS LLC ]
P&A OPERATIONS · ASSET RETIREMENT · METHANE ABATEMENT · SITE RESTORATION
We plan and manage well decommissioning programs: engineering, contractor selection, plug and abandonment, site restoration and close-out. Where a well’s methane is measured and a methodology applies, environmental attributes may add to the project economics. They are never assumed.
First program under due diligence in California and Colombia.
35,057
IDLE WELLS IN CALIFORNIA
CALGEM, 2023 REPORT
5,000+
ORPHAN OR DESERTED, NO OPERATOR
CALGEM
~US$139,000
AVERAGE STATE PLUGGING COST PER WELL
CALGEM
82.5×
METHANE VS CO₂ OVER 20 YEARS
IPCC AR6
[ THE REQUIREMENT ]
Every idle well carries a plugging obligation. In California the annual idle-well fee now runs from US$1,000 to US$22,500 per well, low-producing wells cannot change hands without a full-cost bond, and wells near homes and schools face monitoring conditions with suspension of production as the backstop. Where no operator remains, the state plugs the well itself at an average of about US$139,000 each. Nationally, EPA counts about 3.9 million abandoned wells; the unplugged ones produce nearly all of the methane.
It is engineering, contracting and field execution at scale, and it has to be planned, delivered and documented like any other well program.
[ WHAT WE DELIVER ]
Well inventories, prioritization, scope, cost planning and contractor strategy.
Basis of design, abandonment programs, barrier philosophy and technical assurance.
Contractor management, wellsite delivery, safety and well control.
Before and after the work, with specialist providers where the project or a methodology requires it.
Removal, remediation, restoration and documented close-out.
[ THE WELL, END TO END ]
What happens to one well on a Metamorphic decommissioning program.
01 · ASSESS
Idle or orphaned, its condition and records reviewed. Methane is measured where the program calls for it.
02 · PLUG
The P&A program engineered to the applicable standard, tendered to qualified contractors and supervised by us.
03 · CUT AND CAP
Wellhead removed, casing cut and capped below ground, the pad cleared.
04 · CLOSE OUT
Post-work measurement where required, approvals and records completed, the site restored and handed back.
[ METHANE ABATEMENT ]
Some idle wells emit methane; most emit very little. Field measurement finds that under 10 percent of abandoned wells produce about 90 percent of the emissions. Measuring first finds the wells that matter, sets the baseline and documents the abatement when they are plugged.
Where a methodology applies, verified abatement may support carbon or environmental attributes. As of September 2026: the American Carbon Registry’s orphan-well methodology is inactive for new projects pending a 2026 update; the Climate Action Reserve’s marginal-well protocol is in development; California’s compliance program has no protocol for well plugging. Most plugged wells will not generate credits, and none is counted until it is issued.
[ COMMERCIAL STRUCTURE ]
Project structures may include decommissioning and project-management fees, WDDP licensing, and participation in verified environmental value where it applies. Economics vary with well condition, plugging cost, measured methane, eligibility, ownership and price. We model each program on its own measurements and share the model under a project agreement.
[ MARKETS ]
The largest documented requirement.
DUE DILIGENCE
Mature-field well inventories under assessment.
DUE DILIGENCE
Under evaluation, including regulatory and sanctions requirements.
UNDER EVALUATION
No wells are contracted. The first program will be where the due diligence lands.
[ PROJECT CAPITAL ]
Strategic partners and qualified investors may participate in individual projects subject to due diligence, definitive agreements and applicable law. Nothing on this site is an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities or carbon credits.
[ CONTACT ]
A well inventory, a field to retire, or a program to assess. Contact the team directly.
Sources: CalGEM Idle Well Program Report for 2023; CalGEM WellSTAR; US EPA Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 1990–2022; IPCC AR6 WGI Table 7.15; California AB 1866, AB 1167 and SB 1137; Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 18:4527 (2025); American Carbon Registry, Climate Action Reserve and CARB program pages, September 2026.
[ PART OF METAMORPHIC ]
Decommissioning is one of six divisions of Metamorphic Holdings LLC. Where Metamorphic's own capital is in a program, Energy structures it and contracts this division to deliver the wells; where an owner hires the capability, this division leads. Programs run on WDDP.