EOR – To Increase the Existing Production

Related to the Government’s target of 1-million-barrels of oil per day in 2030, SKK Migas have developed some planned actions which need to be performed by all of the respective parties within the industry. These actions are maintaining base production, ensuring the transformation from reserves to production, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and exploration.

As one of these actions, the Government continues to push the oil and gas companies to implement EOR technology in order to increase the national production, especially from the existing fields.

Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, claimed that additional oil production could be achieved if Indonesia implements the EOR technologies in its existing oil and gas blocks. “We can implement EOR in our mature oil wells. The production rise potential is big enough, around 1.7 billion barrels,” he said.

EOR is the process of increasing the amount of oil that can be recovered from an existing reservoir and is usually done by injecting a substance into an existing well to increase pressure and reduce the viscosity of the oil. There are several different methods of EOR, including thermal recovery, gas injection, chemical injection, and CO2 injection. EOR is also called the tertiary recovery method.

There are several EOR implementation projects that are planned by PT Pertamina (Persero) and they are preparing to implement EOR in some fields, namely in the Tanjung Field, Jirak Field, and the Rantau Field. Besides Pertamina, PT Medco E&P is also committed to implement full field chemical EOR in the Rimau Block.

Separately, the Acting Director General of Oil and Gas, Ego Syahrial, said that the implementation of EOR is now being evaluated by the Upstream Oil and Gas Special Task Force (SKK Migas). He added that the implementation of EOR would be dependent on the global crude oil price. “Let say they [the oil and gas producers] propose that one of the biggest opportunities to increase oil production is EOR. It is okay, but everything needs to be evaluated based on today’s crude oil price and other factors,” he said.

Syahrial also believes that the successful implementation of EOR will increase the national oil and gas production.

In addition, a Professor from the Bandung Institute of Technology, Tutuka Ariadji, also explained that the implementation of EOR is not so easy. The EOR should be done in several wells at the same time instead of implementing it only in a single well. “It should be done in a couple of wells and there should be a full field implementation plan,” he stated.

Tutuka also suggested implementing EOR in a low risk field. EOR is not suitable for the fields with a high-water content and a small reserve of oil remnant. “It is better to implement EOR in a low risk and easy field first,” Tutuka added.

Hopefully, by completing all of the planned actions in order to increase the oil and gas production, the Government’s target in 2030 will be achieved. (*)