The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported Tuesday 54% of the state’s oil and natural gas wells — or 3,204 out of 5,949 wells– have been restored to production, following the devastating hurricanes and storms that swept through the state three months ago. Another 2,155 wells, or 36.2%, remain shut in, and the status of about 10%, or 590 wells, remains unknown.

DNR’s Office of Conservation is in the process of contacting 396 operators with onshore producing wells in a 38-parish region regarding the status of their production facilities.

Estimated restored gas production as of Tuesday was 1.613 Bcf/d, or about 72.2% of the daily gas output capacity in the parish region, which is about 2.2 Bcf/d. Estimated oil production totaled 122,629 bbl/d, or about 60% of the daily capacity, which is about 203,139 bbl/d.

DNR also has identified and contacted 55 pipeline operators in the hurricane-affected parishes. It reported eight operator facilities have reopened, 20 remain shut in and 17 are experiencing partial system shut ins or partial flow.

Golden, CO-based Bentek Energy LLC Tuesday reported that total Gulf Coast and offshore Gulf of Mexico gas output remains at the 12.3 Bcf level, with 2.277 Bcf still shut in offshore Louisiana. Cumulative shut-in production offshore Louisiana and Texas since pre-Hurricane Katrina now totals 522.1 Bcf.

©Copyright 2005Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news reportmay not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in anyform, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.