Oil executives and North Dakota officials are evaluating enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques to extract trapped reserves in the Bakken formation. The strategy focuses on injecting gases, specifically carbon dioxide, to repressurize reservoirs and extend the life of existing oil fields. Significant hurdles remain, including the need for massive CO2 supply volumes and the high cost of retrofitting pipelines to handle carbonic acid. Experts suggest that wide deployment of these technologies may take another decade to significantly impact U.S. oil production levels.
