Plugging cost trends and inflation
How to adjust an older plugging cost to today, and what the Plugging Cost Index shows about price changes.
To bring an older plugging cost to today's money, multiply it by the ratio of two Plugging Cost Index values.
The index
The latest quarterly value is 102.2 for 2026Q2, with 2023 set to 100. The index is composition-adjusted, so it follows like-for-like wells rather than a shifting mix. See the Plugging Cost Index.
Example
A job costing $50,000 in a period where the index was 90, brought to a period where it is 108, becomes $50,000 × 108 / 90 = $60,000.
Caution
The index is built from orphan wells plugged under public contracts. It need not match the cost movement of deep, horizontal or offshore work.