Program tracker › Kentucky

Kentucky orphan well program

Funding, wells plugged and contractors for Kentucky's orphan well program, from public federal records.

Federal orphan-well grants found
$85.0 million
3 awards, latest 2025-10-01
Total of reported plugging costs on file
$31.6 million
sum of 1,098 records; not a cost per well
Plugged wells on file
1,098
2022-09 to 2026-09

AHigh confidence

Median reported cost per well: $27,000, typical range $16,500 – $43,490; Typically within 22%. Full state page.

01002002472022Q41962023Q1992023Q2732023Q382023Q412024Q152025Q2212025Q3582025Q4652026Q11562026Q21532026Q3
Plugged wells with a reported cost, by quarter of plug date (latest 12 quarters).

Estimated cost to plug the documented backlog

Kentucky lists about 15,870 documented orphan wells (documented orphan wells, as of 2023-12-31; IOGCC Idle and Orphan Oil and Gas Wells (2024), state-reported). Multiplied by the published cost per well, that is roughly $428.5 million (low $261.9 million, high $690.2 million). This is an estimate built from the published figures, not a program estimate; the wells left are not necessarily like the wells already plugged. Methodology.

Contractors

Companies on federal plugging contracts or subawards in Kentucky, from USAspending.gov: Mabbett & Associates, Inc..

Bond rules: see bond amounts for Kentucky.

Sources: US Department of the Interior Orphaned Wells Program data, USAspending.gov. Grant amounts are those found for Kentucky and may be incomplete. Limitations.

Cost by state: Kentucky · All states