At a recent Joint Minerals Committee hearing, lawmakers and industry leaders discussed the potential of carbon-dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) to boost production from Wyoming’s mature fields. The technology is proven to increase recovery, but broader deployment hinges on significant investment in infrastructure—particularly pipeline capacity to deliver CO₂ to candidate reservoirs.
- Opportunity: CO₂-EOR can add meaningful incremental barrels from existing assets and retain CO₂ resources in-state.
- Constraint: High upfront costs (pipelines, CO₂ supply, field retrofits) and permitting timelines remain key barriers to scale.
- What’s needed: Aligned policy, financing, and project prioritization to make economics workable for operators.
This discussion aligns with EORI’s mission to reduce stranded reserves and extend field life through technically sound, economically viable recovery methods.