43 C.F.R. Subpart 3275—Conducting Utilization Operations
Title 43 - Public Lands: Interior
Send us a complete and signed sundry notice describing your proposed change. Until we approve your sundry notice, you must continue to comply with the original permit terms. (a) Your obligations are to: (1) Keep the facility in proper operating condition at all times; (2) Conduct training during your operation which ensure your personnel are capable of performing emergency procedures quickly and effectively; (3) Use properly maintained equipment; and (4) Use operational practices which allow for quick and effective emergency response. (b) Base the design of the utilization facility siting and operation on sound engineering principles and other pertinent geologic and engineering data; and, (c) Prevent waste of, or damage to, geothermal and other energy and minerals resources. (d) Comply with the requirements of 43 CFR 3200.4. (a) You must perform all utilization facility operations to: (1) Protect the quality of surface and subsurface waters, air, and other natural resources, including wildlife, soil, vegetation, and natural history; (2) Prevent unnecessary or undue degradation of the lands; (3) Protect the quality of cultural, scenic and recreational resources; (4) Accommodate other land uses as much as possible; (5) Protect people and wildlife from unacceptable levels of noise; (6) Prevent injury; and (7) Prevent damage to property. (b) You must monitor facility operations to identify and address local environmental resources and concerns associated with your facility or lease operations. (c) You must remove or, with BLM approval, properly store all equipment and materials not in use. (d) You must properly abandon and reclaim any disturbed surface to standards approved or prescribed by us, when the land is no longer needed for facility construction or operation. (e) When we require, you must submit a contingency plan describing procedures to protect public health and safety, property, and the environment. (f) You must comply with the requirements of 43 CFR 3200.4. Yes, the facility operator must: (a) Measure all production, injection and utilization in accordance with methods and standards we approve (see 43 CFR 3275.15); and (b) Maintain and test all metering equipment. If your equipment is defective or out of tolerance, you must promptly recalibrate, repair, or replace it. Determine the amount of production and/or utilization in accordance with the methods and procedures we approve (See 43 CFR 3275.17). (a) For all well operations, you must measure wellhead flow, wellhead temperature, and wellhead pressure. (b) For all electrical generation facilities, you must measure: (1) Steam and/or hot water flow into the facility; (2) Temperature of the water and/or steam into the facility; (3) Pressure of the water and/or steam into the facility; (4) Gross electricity generated; (5) Net electricity at the facility tailgate; (6) Electricity delivered to the sales point; and (7) Temperature of the steam and/or hot water exiting the facility. (c) For direct use facilities, you must measure: (1) Flow of steam and/or hot water; (2) Temperature into the facility; and (3) Temperature out of the facility. (d) We may also require additional measurements depending on the type of facility, the type and quality of the resource, and the terms of the sales contract. It depends on whether you use the meter in calculating Federal production or royalty, and what quantity of resource you are measuring. (a) For meters that you use to calculate Federal royalty: (1) If the meter measures electricity, it must have an accuracy of ±0.25% or better of reading; (2) If the meter measures steam flowing more than 100,000 lbs/hr on a monthly basis, it must have an accuracy of ±2 percent or better of reading; (3) If the meter measures steam flowing less than 100,000 lbs/hr on a monthly basis, it must have an accuracy of ±4 percent or better of reading; (4) If the meter measures water flowing more than 500,000 lbs/hr on a monthly basis, it must have an accuracy of ±2 percent or better of reading; (5) If the meter measures water flowing 500,000 lbs/hr or less on a monthly basis, it must have an accuracy of ±4 percent or better of reading; (6) If the meter measures heat content, it must have an accuracy of ±4 percent or better; or (7) If the meter measures two phase flow at any rate, we will determine meter accuracy requirements. You must obtain our prior written approval before installing and using meters for two phase flow. (b) Any meters that you do not use to calculate Federal royalty are considered production meters, which must maintain an accuracy of ±5 percent or better of reading. (c) We may modify these requirements as necessary to protect the interests of the United States. (a) You must install and maintain all meters we require according to the manufacturer's recommendations and specifications or paragraphs (b) through (e) of this section, whichever is more restrictive. (b) If you use an orifice plate to calculate Federal royalty, the orifice plate installation must comply with “API Manual of Petroleum Standards, Chapter 14, Section 3, part 2, Third Edition, February, 1991.” (c) For meters used to calculate Federal royalty, you must calibrate the meter against a known standard as follows: (1) You must calibrate meters measuring electricity annually; (2) You must calibrate meters measuring steam or hot water flow with a turbine, vortex, ultrasonics, or other linear devices, every six months, or as recommended by the manufacturer, whichever is more frequent; and (3) You must calibrate meters measuring steam or hot water flow with an orifice plate, venturi, pitot tube, or other differential device, every month and you must inspect and repair the primary device (orifice plate, venturi, pitot tube) annually. (d) You must use calibration equipment that is more accurate than the equipment you are calibrating. (e) BLM may modify any of these requirements as necessary to protect the resources of the United States. (a) If you find an error in a meter used to calculate Federal royalty, you must correct the error immediately and notify BLM by the next working day of its discovery. (b) If the meter is not used to calculate Federal royalty, you must correct the error and notify us within three days of its discovery. (c) If correcting the error will cause a change in the sales quantity of more than 2% for the month(s) in which the error occurred, you must adjust the sales quantity for that month(s) and submit an amended facility report to us within three working days. Yes, you must conduct any tests we require, including tests for byproducts. To request approval to commingle production, send us a complete and signed sundry notice. We will review your request to commingle production from wells on your lease with production from your other leases or from leases where you do not have an interest. Do not commingle production until we have approved your sundry notice. We will determine the amount of any resources you have lost through waste. If you did not take all reasonable precautions to prevent waste, we will require you to pay compensation based on the value of the lost production. If you do not adequately correct the situation, we will follow the noncompliance procedures identified at 43 CFR 3277.12. Yes, when necessary to protect Federal interests, prevent drainage and to ensure that lease development and production occur in accordance with sound operating practices.
Title 43: Public Lands: Interior
PART 3200—GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE LEASING
Subpart 3275—Conducting Utilization Operations
§ 3275.10 How do I change my operations if I have an approved facility construction or commercial use permit?
§ 3275.11 What are a facility operator's obligations?
§ 3275.12 What environmental and safety requirements apply to facility operations?
§ 3275.13 Does the facility operator have to measure the geothermal resources?
§ 3275.14 What aspects of my geothermal operations must I measure?
§ 3275.15 How accurately must I measure my production and utilization?
§ 3275.16 What standards apply to installing and maintaining my meters?
§ 3275.17 What must I do if I find an error in a meter?
§ 3275.18 May BLM require me to test for byproducts associated with geothermal resource production?
§ 3275.19 May I commingle production?
§ 3275.20 What will BLM do if I waste geothermal resources?
§ 3275.21 May BLM order me to drill and produce wells on my lease?
