Air Quality, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction, and Energy Efficiency
We are committed to reducing emissions in all facets of our operations and utilizing innovative fuel product solutions whenever possible and we believe that our capabilities to operate with alternative power sources help differentiate our company.
For many years, we have invested in the deployment of lower-emissions engines and technology in the oilfield, and demand for these emission-reducing engines and technology has increased in recent years. As a service provider, we are dependent on the needs and demands of our customers when determining the composition of our fleet. To help our customers satisfy their fuel reduction and emissions reduction goals, as well as reduce fuel usage and emissions from our operations, we plan to continue making these investments and have made provisions in our 2022 capital expenditure budget to support these efforts.
We currently have more than 70 rigs (including rigs acquired from Pioneer Energy Services) capable of operating with alternative power sources such as High-Line power from the electric grid, dual-fuel or natural gas-powered engines, or our proprietary EcoCell™ lithium battery hybrid energy management system.
In the short term, we work to meet customer demands by offering our existing lower-emissions and alternative fuel equipment available to them, such as dual-fuel equipment and rich-burn natural gas engines (in place of traditional diesel-only equipment). In the long-term, we will endeavor to meet these demands by continuing our development of innovative, lower-emissions technology (such as battery power hybrid energy management systems and technology enabling the use of utility electrical power in our operations) and redesigning our equipment to maximize efficiency (such as through the development of emission-reducing automation, remote operations and control systems and energy management software).
Our operations include the use of natural gas engines, dual-fuel equipment, and various emission reduction systems. We utilize equipment that runs on a variety of fuels to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. An increasing portion of our contract drilling fleet uses natural gas-only engines and dual-fuel engines, and an increasing portion of our pressure pumping fleet uses dual-fuel engines.
Emissions Reduction Programs And Innovations
Dual-Fuel Engines
With dual-fuel engines, we can offer pressure pumping and contract drilling services with a fuel mixture of up to 70 percent natural gas. Substitution of cleaner-burning natural gas in place of diesel fuel is significantly better from an environmental perspective, as natural gas generates less carbon monoxide than diesel fuel, as well as less nitrogen oxide (NOx), enabling our engines to burn cleaner and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which improves air quality.
Within our pressure pumping business, a number of our spreads are currently dual-fuel capable. Our contract drilling business maintains approximately 69 dual-fuel rig power systems.
Estimated Diesel Fuel Reduction From Use Of Dual-Fuel Engines By Pressure Pumping Business
Between 2013 and 2021, our pressure pumping business completed more than 23,000 stages with dual-fuel engines, resulting in total savings of approximately 17.9 million gallons of diesel fuel.