Adapting Fiscal Regimes to Entice Operators to Implement EOR Schemes

Abstract

Abstract To optimize profit from Oil and Gas production activities, the Operating companies are often constrained in one side by contract terms with the host governments and on the other side by the nature of the reservoir, its fluids, and the resulting economics associated to its production and development. Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methodologies have shown to provide satisfactory results in increasing the recovery factor. Nonetheless, their applications are normally linked to important capital investments which might turn the economics of the project not favorable, unless enticements are offered to ease the way towards a win-win pre-arrangement. This paper aims to contrast results from economic evaluations and assessments for the implementation of an EOR methodology in a type field and how to foster cooperation with regulatory bodies to adapt their fiscal conditions to stimulate implementation of EOR techniques. In that way the host country could benefit from higher investment, larger production, increased tax revenue and a better recovery factors while the operating company would be enticed to assemble a quality team to design viable alternatives to maximize recoveries, increase reserves while increasing their profitability. The methodology proposed considers the calculation of economic and business indicators such as: Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, Payout time, Company take and Government take which are obtained considering typical fiscal regimes applicable for Enhanced Oil Recovery techniques as a function of production profiles and EOR methodologies. The analyses are benchmarked versus natural depletion of current development, comparing investment alternatives and technical and economic benefits of possible Enhanced Oil Recovery alternatives and their prudent implementation. The implementation of EOR techniques for different fields are either incentivized or discouraged as a function of the different terms of typical fiscal regimes for hydrocarbon production. A proper analysis of the alternatives could be used as the basis of negotiations for the fiscal regime configuration to be applied. Provided the regulations are already intelligently designed and properly approved. Various production scenarios are analyzed to ascertain which EOR methodology may be more advantageous from the points of view of operating companies, national oil companies and government take.