Big 2 Exclusive: Clayton Williams Breaks Ground on Pipeline
By: Mycah Glover
Updated: November 4, 2011
Reeves Co. - A small piece of West Texas history was made about 15 miles south of Pecos today. More than a hundred land owners and Clayton Williams Energy employees came together to witness Williams break ground on $60 million pipeline. It's a big investment that Williams says is worth making.
For Reeves County, it was a change that seemed to happen over night. A 30-mile radius around Pecos went from having six wells to fifty in less than one year thanks to oilmen like Clayton Williams. Advances in hydraulic fracturing have now made it possible to extract oil and gas further down in the formations across this particular area.
So far, Williams has drilled eight wells in this location, but his future plans are much larger. "I expect that if everything works, we will drill at least 440 wells," says Williams.
And that's why he believes spending $60 million on a pipeline is economical. He says this would help "to save the gas, to make better on the oil and water, and to save the road because it's already in tough shape as it is."
Initial construction is expected to take between six and eight months, and it's bringing some much needed work to a lot people - 100 to be exact.
"I was managing a large ranch south of Fort Stockton less than 2 months ago, and due to the drought and stock prices falling, it was time to do something different. And fortunately, Mr. Williams had an opening here to come work in the oilfield for him," says Joshua Snider, pipeline surface construction worker.
The pipeline means a lot for Mary Morris as well, but in a totally different way. Her father purchased land and minerals in this exact location when she was a child and lived his entire life thinking it was a bad investment. Now, Mary wishes her dad was here to see that it's finally paying off. "It's kind of like it's a tribute to my father. He did it as a gamble. He was kind of that way. He would love to be here today."
Once the pipeline is complete, it'll include three lines. One for gas, one for oil, and one for water. The gas pipeline will go to the Southern Union Pipeline LTD. The oil pipeline will connect to a Plains line which is currently under construction. The produced water system will go to injection wells for disposal.
Other Pipeline Facts provided by Clayton Williams Pipeline Corp:
- This is the largest pipeline project since 1979 for Clayton Williams
- The pipeline will collect from wells over 300 square miles
- Mainline is 27 miles long
- It involves over 100 landowners
- The pipeline will start at 150 miles, in excess of 500 miles of pipeline ultimately
For Reeves County, it was a change that seemed to happen over night. A 30-mile radius around Pecos went from having six wells to fifty in less than one year thanks to oilmen like Clayton Williams. Advances in hydraulic fracturing have now made it possible to extract oil and gas further down in the formations across this particular area.
So far, Williams has drilled eight wells in this location, but his future plans are much larger. "I expect that if everything works, we will drill at least 440 wells," says Williams.
And that's why he believes spending $60 million on a pipeline is economical. He says this would help "to save the gas, to make better on the oil and water, and to save the road because it's already in tough shape as it is."
Initial construction is expected to take between six and eight months, and it's bringing some much needed work to a lot people - 100 to be exact.
"I was managing a large ranch south of Fort Stockton less than 2 months ago, and due to the drought and stock prices falling, it was time to do something different. And fortunately, Mr. Williams had an opening here to come work in the oilfield for him," says Joshua Snider, pipeline surface construction worker.
The pipeline means a lot for Mary Morris as well, but in a totally different way. Her father purchased land and minerals in this exact location when she was a child and lived his entire life thinking it was a bad investment. Now, Mary wishes her dad was here to see that it's finally paying off. "It's kind of like it's a tribute to my father. He did it as a gamble. He was kind of that way. He would love to be here today."
Once the pipeline is complete, it'll include three lines. One for gas, one for oil, and one for water. The gas pipeline will go to the Southern Union Pipeline LTD. The oil pipeline will connect to a Plains line which is currently under construction. The produced water system will go to injection wells for disposal.
Other Pipeline Facts provided by Clayton Williams Pipeline Corp:
- This is the largest pipeline project since 1979 for Clayton Williams
- The pipeline will collect from wells over 300 square miles
- Mainline is 27 miles long
- It involves over 100 landowners
- The pipeline will start at 150 miles, in excess of 500 miles of pipeline ultimately
