permian basin technology

The massive infrastructure of Occidental's Permian Basin operation includes natural gas facilities processing 200 million cubic feet per day, and the largest CO2 flooding operations in the world.

This technology can enhance the economic life of producing oil fields by as much as 30 years. Occidental's Permian operations handle 350 million cubic feet per day of recycled CO2 and an additional 350 million cubic feet per day of purchased CO2. Using powerful state-of-the-art computer processing technology, Occidental manages its CO2 flooding techniques through advanced reservoir characterization methods.

The CO2 flooding projects are continually monitored to identify opportunities for design, construction or operational improvements.

We have initiated new CO2 injection projects in the Cogdell field, north of Snyder, Texas, and in the North Hobbs Unit near Hobbs, New Mexico. CO2 flooding is expected to produce millions of barrels of oil from these fields that would otherwise be unrecoverable. First production from the Cogdell field began in October, 2001. Because of the importance of CO2 to our operations, we have acquired a 75 percent interest in the giant Bravo Dome CO2 field in northern New Mexico.

Many of the Permian fields that were part of the Altura acquisition had never undergone detailed multi-disciplinary analysis to optimize the recovery rates of the remaining reserves. We are proving that tapping the overlooked potential of mature areas like the Permian Basin can be economically rewarding.

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