Enhanced Oil Recovery in the Energy Transition: A Review of Brazilian Technical Evolution

Over the last few years, the importance of the energy transition has become prominent as concerns about climate change and environmental degradation grew, driven by the increasing recognition of the negative impacts of fossil fuel consumption, including global warming. As a result, the focus of the energy sector has changed, and most companies have started to plan the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources to decelerate global warming to safe levels and to achieve sustainability for the future. Despite the shift towards renewable energy, the oil and gas industry will continue to play a significant role in the near future due to its dominance in global energy supply, the high initial costs of renewable energy infrastructure and the dependence on developing new technologies to make renewable energy economically feasible. Given this scenario, the industry is increasingly investing in technologies such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to help reducing emissions, and Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques which may help the oil and gas industry adapt its practices to improve carbon sequestration. This paper discusses the key points which place CO₂ WAG injection in a leading role in Brazil as the primary EOR technique for the energy transition.