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EOR

Can we use CO₂ in a beneficial way? EOR has the answer

With 50+ years of experience, Oxy is the industry leader in applying carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery (CO₂ EOR) in the Permian Basin and among the largest globally.

Capturing the Way Forward

Net-Zero Oil and the Future of Energy

By pairing Direct Air Capture technology with Oxy’s existing CO2 EOR infrastructure, we aim to remove an amount of CO2 equivalent to that emitted during the production and consumption of our products. Alongside our plans to reduce our operational emissions, this can result in net-zero oil and gas, which can then be used to produce lower-carbon fuels and other essential materials—all with a lower carbon footprint.

This forward-thinking methodology, only recently made possible through advances in technology, can provide a critical bridge as we transition to a low-carbon economy.

Oxy’s EOR Leadership

As a leader in Enhanced Oil Recovery, Oxy is building upon its decades-long investment in infrastructure and expertise to help usher in a new age of carbon responsibility.

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Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) using CO2 is a process in which CO2 is injected into a producing oil field to help improve the reservoir’s operational, financial and environmental performance. Hydrocarbon-producing rock is porous. Injected CO2 displaces oil and gas trapped inside this porous rock—and then gets trapped itself to an extent. 

This technique traps CO2 securely in the reservoir while producing oil more efficiently, increasing ultimate oil recovery by 10 to 25 percent in the fields where it is employed.

We've been doing EOR for decades.

  • 50+ years of carbon management experience
  • Up to 20 million metric tons of CO2 stored per year, with capacity for more
  • Extensive infrastructure including 13 processing and recycling plants

Pairing new carbon capture technologies and techniques with our vast legacy of EOR and CO2 investment could be a game-changer in the fight against climate change.

IPCC and IEA 1.5°C scenarios show 2050 oil demand at up to 50% of today’s levels, specifically for hard-to-abate sectors that will continue to require liquid fuels and for hydrocarbon feedstocks. Our extensive infrastructure and decades of expertise in CO2 EOR is a key part of our strategy to establish a supply of lower-carbon oil and gas to meet this need with a decarbonized product.

And our ongoing effort is just the beginning. The United States alone has around 8,600 gigatonnes (Gt) of geologic CO2 storage capacity within underground reservoirs, according to U.S. Department of Energy's Carbon Atlas V publication.

Oxy’s CO₂ Infrastructure

18,000

connected wells

6,000+

injection wells

2,500

miles CO₂ pipeline access

up to 20

million metric tons CO₂ stored annually

13

CO₂ processing and recycling plants

1.4

million net Permian Basin EOR acres

2.4

billion cubic feet/day of CO₂ injected

2+ B

BOE net resource potential in the Permian

Certified by the U.S. EPA

Oxy was the recipient of the nation’s first two United States Environmental Protection Agency certified Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) programs for CO2 injection. Awarded for our work in EOR operations within the Permian Basin, we now have three facilities with such stringently managed regulatory activity.

  • 2015 Denver Unit
  • 2017 Hobbs Unit
  • 2021 West Seminole San Andres Unit

These MRV programs double-check that the CO2 injected into these oil and gas reservoirs is being stored safely and securely. This third-party verification and reporting ensures transparency and accountability today and as the use of secure geologic CO2 storage scales in the future.