(World Oil) – Tradewater has acquired Colorado-based Carbon Shield, expanding its capabilities to plug orphaned oil and gas wells and accelerate methane mitigation projects in Colorado and Wyoming.
The acquisition strengthens Tradewater’s growing portfolio of orphaned well remediation projects by adding Carbon Shield’s established relationships, operational expertise and pipeline of wells targeted for plugging in the Rocky Mountain region.
Tradewater entered the orphaned oil and gas well sector in 2023 and has since completed projects in Illinois, Indiana and Kansas. The company said those projects have prevented more than 1.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
“The acquisition of Carbon Shield enables us to rapidly scale this important work,” said Kirsten Dueck, chief executive officer of Tradewater.
As part of the transaction, Carbon Shield Vice President of Operations Taylor Heffner has joined Tradewater. A petroleum engineer with more than a decade of experience in Colorado’s oil and gas industry, Heffner has worked in production and development engineering, operated producing wells and managed plugging and abandonment activities.
“I’m excited to join the Tradewater team and lend my expertise to preventing methane and other emissions from orphaned oil and gas wells,” Heffner said.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 141,000 documented orphaned oil and gas wells exist nationwide, with additional undocumented wells also believed to require remediation.
Tradewater said expanding its orphaned well program is a key component of its broader methane abatement strategy and supports its goal of preventing more than 30 million metric tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions by 2030.
