Conventional Production

A lot of the big run-up in U.S. crude oil production since 2010 is tied to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in the Eagle Ford, the Bakken and other tight-oil plays. But while oil from shale and other reservoirs with very low permeability has grabbed the headlines, crude production from enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in older conventional oil fields—especially using CO2 flooding techniques--is on the rise. Crude production from CO2-based EOR operations could more than double by 2020 (to 600 Mb/d or higher), providing yet another boost to U.S. energy independence. In today’s blog, we begin a look at enhanced oil recovery, with a focus on techniques that use large volumes of carbon dioxide.

With so much positive news out there about ever-rising production from unconventional oil and natural gas plays, word that the Energy Information Administration has reduced its estimate of recoverable oil from California’s Monterey Shale region by 95% is sobering, to say the least. EIA’s Monterey shocker serves as a reminder that the U.S. energy renaissance is in its infancy, that each shale play has different characteristics and challenges, and that there is still a lot to learn. In this blog, we look at what had been seen as California’s next big thing, and at whether new technology and techniques might revive Monterey’s promise.