Enhanced Oil Recovery

The NSTA’s Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) strategy is focused around technologies such as Polymer EOR, Low Salinity EOR and Miscible Gas Flood (for both hydrocarbon gas and CO2). The strategy identifies the principal barriers to implement EOR projects in the UKCS.

EOR methods such as polymer flooding and Co2 EOR are aligned with net zero objectives to reduce the carbon intensity of the producing hydrocarbons and are less Co2 intensive when compared to waterflooding.

The NSTA has previously published a delivery program and identified eight delivery areas for EOR projects in the UKCS.

Whilst the NSTA is prioritising the implementation of three focused EOR technologies in the UKCS, it will work with industry and EOR research groups to advance any other EOR technology in the UKCS and develop a framework for its economic implementation such as New EOR method Organic Oil Recovery EOR applied in North sea, cheap and short term EOR (6 months from design to implementation) applicable for mature fields, (two Successful Pilot tests in UKCS).

The NSTA also seeks to accelerate EOR activities and address the challenge that EOR opportunities in the UKCS are not designed and implemented early enough in field life cycle.

NSTA's Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Strategy sets out a high-level overview of EOR UKCS opportunities. The importance of encouraging industry uptake of EOR was outlined in the Wood Maximising Recovery review and subsequently EOR is an integral theme of the Asset Stewardship Task Force.

Successful EOR can play a significant role in ensuring economic recovery from the UKCS by increasing the volume of recovery, reducing carbon intensity of the produced hydrocarbon, extending field life (by as much as 10 years), creating and maintaining jobs, help stimulate field redevelopments and defer decommissioning activities.

EOR Technologies are currently being successfully deployed around the world, usually onshore. Information on various EOR technologies by BP can be viewed on their website.

However, offshore EOR can be challenging due to it’s capital intensive nature and higher operating costs than conventional water flood schemes.

The EOR Delivery Programme builds on the EOR Strategy and describes in more detail how and when the near-term priority areas in EOR will be delivered. It considers the various obligations and commitments from the Strategy, the Energy Act and the NSTA Corporate Plan, as well as the principles of stewardship outlined in the Asset Stewardship Strategy.

Any reports from the EOR Delivery Programme will be provided from this webpage.

Eight-step EOR Delivery Programme 

• Existing EOR projects
• MER for future EOR projects
• Workgroups and industry partnerships
• Technology development and deployment
• Creating value – improving economics
• Advance next EOR and support CO2 storage
• Knowledge management
• Communication and stakeholder plans

The activities in the EOR Delivery Programme will be monitored by NSTA and reviewed by the North Sea Transition Asset Stewardship Board and updated as necessary.

The NSTA has published a comprehensive lessons learned document to help encourage oil and gas operators to use polymer technology to enhance oil recovery (EOR) from UK oil fields.