Confirm you have eligible wells

Timeline: 1–3 days

Not every abandoned well qualifies for carbon credit verification, but the eligibility criteria are straightforward. Before investing time in the process, answer these four questions:

• ? Is the well documented as abandoned or unplugged in state records?
• ? Is methane or gas leakage measurable at the wellhead?
• ? Do you have the legal right to plug the well and claim carbon credits — confirmed mineral rights, surface rights, and operator status?
• ? Is the well located in Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, or another high-concentration O&G state?

If you answered yes to most of these, your project is worth pursuing. If you are unsure about any of them — particularly legal rights — that is the first thing to clarify before proceeding.

Register as a Credit Holder on Carbon2O2

Timeline: 15 minutes

Registration is free and takes about 15 minutes. You will create your Credit Holder account on Carbon2O2 and submit basic information about your property and wells — location, API well numbers if you have them, and known history of the wells.

This is the step that starts the clock. From this point forward, the emissions your project prevents are eligible for carbon credit issuance. Registration does not commit you to anything — it opens the process.

Pre-plugging emissions measurement

Timeline: 1–2 weeks to schedule · 1 day on-site

Before any plugging work begins, a Qualified Measurement Specialist visits your site to measure the methane emissions coming from each well. This baseline measurement is the foundation of your entire project — it determines how many carbon credits your wells can generate.

The specialist uses calibrated remote detection equipment to measure emissions at the wellhead. The results are documented and submitted as part of the project record. Higher emissions mean more credits — a high-emission well can generate significantly more income than a low-emission one.

Plug the well

Timeline: 1–5 days per well depending on depth and conditions

A certified plugging contractor executes the permanent sealing of the well according to your state's regulations and the project's technical plan. The plugging process involves placing cement plugs at specific depths in the wellbore to permanently isolate geological formations and eliminate the methane source.

Post-plugging, the site is cleaned up and surface equipment is removed. A second emissions measurement is taken after plugging to confirm the source has been permanently eliminated and document the verified reduction.

Independent verification and credit issuance

Timeline: 6–12 weeks

An accredited independent verification body reviews all project documentation — baseline measurements, plugging records, post-plugging test results, and regulatory filings. Their job is to confirm that the emissions reduction is real, permanent, and additional before any credits are issued.

Once the independent audit is complete, an accredited carbon registry issues your credits. Each credit represents exactly one verified metric ton of CO?-equivalent permanently prevented from entering the atmosphere. Every credit receives a unique identifier and is recorded on the registry's public record — creating an auditable chain of custody that any buyer can verify.

List on Carbon2O2 and sell directly to ESG buyers

Timeline: Listed within days of credit issuance

Once your credits are issued and recorded on the registry, Carbon2O2 mirrors the verified data onto its marketplace and makes your credits available to corporate ESG buyers actively searching for US-based, registry-verified methane credits.

You set the price. Buyers transact directly — no brokers taking a cut in the middle. Every purchase and retirement is permanently recorded on the public registry. You receive payment, and the buyer receives the documentation they need for their ESG reporting.