The North Dakota Industrial Commission approved a pilot project from XTO Energy to start enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
The application lists four wells in Dunn County south of Johnson’s Corner.
XTO said it will inject natural gas, water and surfactants to better retrieve oil underground.
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XTO Wells Drilled Since 2023
State Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said the company is expecting a 30 to 50 percent increase in oil recovery using this method.
“Which means going from 15 percent to 20 or 30 percent recovery. Still leaves 7 out of 10 barrels in the ground for the next innovator, but that’s a huge difference. That’s 10 billion barrels of oil if you spread it out across the entire Bakken resource,” said Helms.
Commission documents indicate that XTO plans to start the project soon and operate through October. XTO is a subsidiary of ExxonMobil.
The process of enhanced oil recovery uses materials such as water, carbon dioxide or natural gas to help wells take more oil off the rock. Helms said utilizing EOR will be necessary to extend the lifespan of the Bakken for decades.
Other companies in North Dakota and the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center are also looking into the benefits of enhanced oil recovery.
