EXPLORATORY DEEP INJECTION WELL CONSTRUCTION AND TESTING INTO THE CRETACEOUS SEDIMENTS OF WEST-CENTRAL FLORIDA

Tampa Electric Company (TEC) has embarked on the construction and testing of a Class V Exploratory Well at its Polk Power Station in Polk County, Florida. The Polk Power Station is a 250-megawatt integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power plant.

TEC is investigating deep well injection as a means to dispose of reverse osmosis concentrate from its reclaimed water treatment facility into the Lower Lawson Limestone Formation down to approximately 5,800 feet below land surface. The well is initially permitted as a Class V exploratory well to investigate the subsurface for potential injection zones and to demonstrate sufficient confinement to protect Underground Sources of Drinking Water (USDW). If a suitable injection zone is identified, the permit will be converted to Class I permit and a dual-zone monitor well will be constructed to demonstrate that the USDW and confining strata are protected during operation of the injection well system. Construction and testing of the exploratory well began in May 2010 and is expected to be completed by September 2011. This is currently the deepest permitted injection well in the state of Florida.

As part of the construction and testing of the exploratory well, extensive geophysical logging, coring, and hydraulic testing is being performed. This exploratory well will also provide valuable data for future consideration and characterization of the Polk Power Station as a site for Geological Carbon Sequestration (GCS) of captured carbon dioxide (CO₂).