co2, page-2

AFAIK, the CO2 level has no effect on the drilling itself. It has an effect on the value of the gas.

High CO2 gas is not as valuable as low CO2 gas. I believe that you have to remove the CO2 before you can sell the gas. In the past you could probably just vent the waste CO2, but in the era of global warming, it has to be sequestered somehow.

So, having to pull the CO2 out and then inject it back into the ground adds to the expense of gas production; thusly making it less profitable.

So, low CO2 gas is more valuable than high CO2 gas.

MEO was planning to use the high CO2 gas to synthesize methanol. Then the CO2 would have been more than just an expensive annoyance, it would actually have become an asset in the methanol synthesis.