04-08-2025
EOR share of PDO's crude oil output to spike to 28% by 2031
MUSCAT: Crude oil output based on Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technologies is projected to account for a significant 28% of Petroleum Development Oman's (PDO) total annual crude oil production by 2031, up from 19% currently, according to the majority state-owned energy company.
The projected increase underscores the growing importance of EOR—a set of advanced techniques used to boost oil recovery from reservoirs after primary and secondary methods become less effective—in PDO's long-term production strategy. EOR methods typically help maximize recovery by 30–50% from some of Oman's maturing oilfields.
Notably, the contribution of EOR to PDO's overall crude production has been steadily rising over the past decade, climbing from 5% in 2014 to 12% in 2020, and further to 19% in 2025.
'In 2024, PDO continued its efforts to boost the future contribution of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) to oil production. It is projected that by 2031, EOR projects will account for approximately 28% of our total output. We currently operate a variety of commercial-scale EOR schemes, including thermal applications, miscible gas injection (MGI), and chemical EOR. Additionally, further portfolio optimisation and the introduction of new opportunities into the hydrocarbon maturation funnel have increased production contributions from primary and secondary processes,' the company stated in its 2024 Sustainability Report.
In 2024, PDO advanced the rollout of EOR technologies across a number of assets in its Oil South portfolio. A Final Investment Decision (FID) was taken on a polymer flooding project in the Haima West field (Mahwis reservoir) within the Marmul cluster. The project is expected to recover an additional 36 million barrels of oil by 2045, with an on-stream date set for 2026.
Also targeted for extensive polymer flooding is Nimr, which hosts oilfields deemed 'well-suited' for this type of EOR technology. Last year, PDO approved two FIDs for polymer flood projects in the Nimr-A and Nimr-E oil fields—forming Wave 1 of polymer projects.
'The Nimr-A project is projected to recover 20 million barrels, while Nimr-E is expected to add 22 million barrels, both slated to be onstream by 2026. These projects will require the construction of new injection facilities and polymer injector wells. A new chemical EOR (cEOR) Category Management framework will be applied to expedite contract awards and reduce costs,' PDO stated.
In other updates during the year, the Harweel 2AB Project (Zalzala Field) increased its gas injection rate from 3 million to 4 million cubic metres per day (m³/d), improving cumulative incremental oil recovery to 54 million barrels to date.
Similarly, under the RHIP Tranche 1 Projects, the SAK A2C produced 43 million barrels of additional oil—up from previous estimates of 29 million barrels. Incremental recovery from SAK A3C also rose, from 8.7 million barrels to 12.6 million barrels.
However, the Al Noor Phase 3A MGI Project saw a downward revision in its incremental recovery estimate, with only 3 million barrels expected—significantly lower than the earlier projection of 12.1 million barrels, the company noted.
Production from steam-based EOR projects also dipped in 2024. The Amal Steam Project reported an average oil production of 2,285 m³/d (13,400 bpd) in 2024, down from 2,626 m³/d (16,500 bpd) in 2023. Likewise, Qarn Alam Steam production declined to 3,302 m³/d (20,768 bpd) in 2024, compared to 3,703 m³/d (23,291 bpd) the previous year.
