Finance and Financial Management Commons^™

Economic Co-Optimization Of Enhanced Oil Recovery And Carbon Sequestration, Andrew Leach, Charles Mason, Klaas Van 'T Veld

Charles F Mason

In this paper, we present an economic analysis of CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR). This technique entails injection of CO2 into mature oil fields in a manner that reduces the oil’s viscosity, thereby enhancing the rate of extraction. As part of this process, significant quantities of CO2 remain sequestered in the reservoir. If CO2 emissions are regulated, oil producers using EOR should therefore be able to earn revenues from sequestration as well as from oil production. We develop a theoretical framework that analyzes the dynamic co-optimization of oil extraction and CO2 sequestration, through the producer’s choice of the fraction of CO2 …