Oman Launches Research Initiative to Boost Enhanced Oil Recovery: What It Means for Investors and Businesses
MUSCAT, JULY 7 — Oman is accelerating its long-term strategy to maximise oil recovery from its mature fields through a new national research initiative focused on Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technologies.
Announced earlier this week by the Research and Innovation Authority (RIA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, the initiative highlights the critical role of advanced extraction techniques in sustaining the country’s hydrocarbon production under Oman Vision 2040.
The programme, titled “Technological Advancements in Enhanced Oil Recovery: A Framework for Maximizing Hydrocarbon Recovery in Oman,” establishes a comprehensive framework to fund and guide scientific research aimed at unlocking substantial remaining oil reserves trapped in complex and tight reservoirs throughout the Sultanate.
With many of Oman’s oil fields now in a mature stage, officials emphasised that traditional primary and secondary recovery methods are no longer adequate to maintain output. Consequently, advancing EOR is regarded as a technical and economic necessity to optimise production from existing assets rather than relying solely on new discoveries. This approach supports national priorities to enhance resource efficiency, ensure fiscal stability, and balance long-term decarbonisation goals.
Oman’s geology presents both opportunities and challenges, featuring heavy oil reservoirs in the south and light oil in fractured carbonate formations in the north. The initiative focuses on advanced techniques such as thermal injection, miscible gas injection, and chemical EOR to increase the ultimate recovery factor across various fields.
A significant element of the programme is the evaluation of CO₂-based EOR, including its integration with carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) systems. Research will also investigate the potential for combining EOR operations with renewable energy sources, especially solar thermal technologies, to reduce dependency on gas-fired steam generation and lower the carbon footprint of production.
Digital transformation is also a core component, with calls for the development of machine learning models and real-time reservoir monitoring to optimise injection strategies and enhance production forecasting. The use of artificial intelligence is expected to boost operational efficiency and enable more precise reservoir management.
The initiative places strong emphasis on techno-economic assessments, requiring studies to evaluate capital and operating costs, emissions reduction potential, and overall economic feasibility under different oil price scenarios.
Moreover, the programme seeks to reinforce In-Country Value (ICV) by encouraging the participation of Omani SMEs in providing chemicals, sensors, maintenance services, and other technology support essential for advanced EOR deployment.
Officials highlighted that collaboration with industry stakeholders, including major operators like PDO and OQ, will be vital for developing a national EOR database and tailoring field-specific solutions to Oman’s varied reservoir conditions.
Ultimately, the programme aims to deliver a national roadmap for EOR deployment, identifying priority technologies, field applications, and investment opportunities to drive the next phase of Oman’s upstream energy sector development.
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Oman’s new national initiative on Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) marks a strategic shift toward maximizing output from mature oil fields using advanced technologies, creating significant opportunities for businesses in advanced extraction, digital solutions, and sustainable energy integration. Smart investors and entrepreneurs should focus on innovative EOR technologies, CO₂-based recovery with carbon capture, and local SME partnerships to capitalize on this national priority, while also mitigating risks linked to fluctuating oil prices and evolving decarbonization mandates.
