San Ardo 2024 Wells Project, Aera Energy, LLC

Aera Energy, LLC has applied to the California Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management Division for permits to drill six new cyclic steam injection wells and two new steamflood injection wells within the San Ardo Oil Field in Monterey County, California. The project is limited to approximately 2.9 acres of private land with no new ground disturbance, involving only potential grading on existing well pads and the installation of new pumping units and flowlines. Operational activities are scheduled to occur over a seven-day period from November 1 to November 8, 2022, with all work constrained to daylight hours except for continuous drilling. Compliance with state environmental regulations is mandatory, including adherence to the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, which requires ongoing biological and air quality monitoring, submission of emissions data under AB 32, and reporting of special-status species observations to the California Natural Diversity Database. The project must comply with California Code of Regulations related to air quality, groundwater protection, hazardous materials handling, and mechanical integrity of injection wells, including maximum injection pressure limits and annual reporting. Strict operational controls are mandated, such as speed restrictions on-site, mandatory fire prevention measures, prohibition of rodenticides and off-road travel, daily wildlife inspections, and 24-hour notification requirements for well integrity failures or spills. All activities are subject to inspection and enforcement by CalGEM, with key compliance reports due within 30 days of project completion and annually thereafter. Regulatory oversight is coordinated through the California Department of Conservation, with primary contacts located in Sacramento, and project-specific notifications must also be sent to Monterey County and federal agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. No contract value, pricing data, or traditional federal acquisition clauses are provided, as the project is governed by state environmental permitting and operational compliance obligations rather than a conventional procurement contract.