CO₂ EOR Yields a 37% Reduction in CO₂ Emitted Per Barrel of Oil Produced

Utilization of anthropogenic CO₂ in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is a well-understood and verifiable process that can deliver CO₂ emission reductions.

According to life cycle analysis done by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which includes impacts from potential increase in oil consumption, each metric ton of CO₂ utilized in EOR nets a 0.63 ton emission reduction. Said another way, EOR results in 37% reduction in CO₂ emissions per barrel compared to conventional oil production. Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) using anthropogenic CO₂ provides an important way to stimulate the development of the infrastructure needed to capture and store large amounts of CO₂ consistent with decarbonizing the energy system to meet 1.5°C goals.

This fact sheet provides a quick explanation of the net CO₂ emission reductions from EOR in two ways: on a per barrel basis and on a per ton basis.