What it costs to plug a well in New Mexico
Reported costs of publicly funded plugging in New Mexico, 2022 to 2026: a median of $132,792 per well.
BModerate confidence
The middle of reported costs is $132,792. Most wells cost between $74,508 and $323,520 (the 10th to 90th percentile). The median is typically within 31% of what individual wells cost. It rests on 217 wells.
How New Mexico compares
New Mexico's median is above the middle of published states ($43,622) and is the highest of the 10 states with a published figure. State differences reflect well depth, terrain, the age of the wells and how each program buys the work, so a higher number does not by itself mean a less efficient program.
Looking only at years with enough data to publish, the median reported cost was $114,156 in 2023 and $170,588 in 2026, a change of +49%. Part of any change is a different mix of wells from year to year, so use the Plugging Cost Index for like-for-like movement.
The wells behind the figure are mostly oil wells.
Funding
New Mexico's orphan well program has received at least $90.5 million in federal infrastructure-law grants that we could match in federal award records. Program tracker for New Mexico.
Bonds
Compare the cost with what operators must post: bond amounts for New Mexico.
Using the figure
These are costs of orphan wells plugged with public money, mostly shallow vertical wells. A deep, horizontal or offshore well, or a well with a collapsed casing, can cost far more. For a specific well, use the estimator; for the full state page, charts and sources see New Mexico costs.