Abstract

The State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery program, Project STARR, is in the process of conducting a multiyear analysis of oil and gas fields on Texas State Lands. Cumulative production to date from Texas State Lands is 1.5 billion barrels (Bbbls). This study indicates that proved remaining reserves (that is, oil that will be produced using current technology) will total only 270 million barrels (Mmbbl). This figure is significantly less than the 3.7 billion barrels (Bbbl) of oil that are projected to remain at reservoir abandonment; of which, 1.6 Bbbl is mobile oil. Therefore, the amount of mobile oil that will be foregone unless advanced technology continues to be applied to State Lands reservoirs nearly equal to the cumulative production to date. A similar analysis holds true for natural gas in Texas State Lands fields. Cumulative gas production is currently 10 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). The amount of natural gas remaining in the largest State Lands gas reservoirs is, however, estimated to be another 10 Tcf. The amount of natural gas projected to be unrecovered at reservoir abandonment under technology thus equals the amount of gas produced to date. Clearly, State Lands reservoirs are nowhere near depletion with regard to in-place volumes of oil and gas.

With funding from the State of Texas, and with support from the General Land Office and Railroad Commission of Texas, Project STARR is designed to capture a substantial portion of the oil and gas that would otherwise remain in State Lands fields. Eleven State Lands fields have undergone characterization and extended development side-by-side with Texas operators. Optimization of oil and gas recovery strategies has resulted in the characterization and deployment of advanced recovery technologies for several key reservoirs. These concepts and approaches in recovery optimization have been transferred to other State Lands operators. To date, detailed geologic and engineering characterization has created: 1) quantitative reservoir descriptions, including the identification and distribution of untapped and bypassed compartments and zones of remaining oil and gas, and 2) various optimized recovery strategies, including: step-out wells, well deepening, recompletions, workovers, infill drilling, injection-profile modification, and waterflood optimization. These strategies have added 12 billion cubic feet of gas and 2.1 million barrels of oil to the recoverable oil and gas reserve base remaining on State Lands, and at least $7 million projected additions to the Permanent School Fund.