During last Thursday’s #AskCabot Twitter session, we answered the question: “How many days does it take to drill a well.” Our answer? “At present, each well is drilled between 15 and 20 days.” Today, we’ll discuss the timeline of an average well, oh wait – there is no average timeline. One of the most interesting parts about our jobs at Cabot is that each well is different, so the drilling, duration and completion processes vary from well to well.Each area we drill wells differs based on shale variations, aquifer depth and basic geography. Before we even think about drilling, our expert geographers study the land and test it for its natural gas yield. They also work with drillers and completion experts to determine the time it will take to obtain the natural gas from the well. Our wells currently take between 15 and 20 days to drill, but thanks to ever-evolving technology we are getting faster all the time. This Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation video describes the entire drilling process in detail from drill bit penetration to the installation of surface equipment and pipeline infrastructure.Here’s an interesting fact: The deepest well ever drilled was seven miles into the earth, according to this Channel 16 WNEP video. In the humorous and educational clip, Channel 16’s Joe Snedeker takes his “Wham Cam” to the streets to poll Susquehanna County residents and visitors, including Cabot’s very own Chad Gorman, about drilling depth.Under the “Industry Education” page on our website, we offer multiple drilling videos and both internal and external resources, including this 3D Rig Animation visual. If you have other questions about the drilling process, feel free to contact us via email. Remember that these recaps reflect the excellent questions we receive via our #AskCabot Thursdays on Twitter, so send us a question today and you could be our feature next week!
Bill serves as an External Affairs Coordinator for Coterra Energy. He is focused on building community knowledge and support for the organization and industry at large.
Before his time with Coterra Energy, Bill was the original Field Director for Energy in Depth’s Northeast Marcellus campaign. Within this two-year position, Bill worked to engage, educate, and mobilize supporters of Marcellus Shale development across New York and Pennsylvania. Bill received his B.S. in Management, a B.A. in History, and an MBA from Misericordia University.