Occidental Petroleum (OXY) has opened the first solar farm to directly power its enhanced oil recovery operations in the Permian Basin.
“As the top producer in the Permian, we are focusing many of our low-carbon investments and projects in the region with the goal of becoming the leader in producing lower-carbon energy,” said Richard Jackson, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures president. “The solar facility and long-term solar power agreement further enable us to realize cost efficiencies and reduce the carbon intensity of our operations through the use of lower-carbon electricity, which together are ultimately expected to eliminate more than 160,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year.”
The 120-acre, 16-megawatt Goldsmith solar farm near Odessa, Texas, is on the small side but it is big enough to power operations of the Goldsmith oil field.
OXY has also signed a new 12-year power purchase agreement to buy solar power from another solar farm planned in west Texas that would open in 2021.
The company also said it is planning to build the first “direct air capture” plant in the Permian Basin, which will “suck” carbon dioxide out of the sky and inject it into the ground to aid in oil production.
