BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Shell plc, has made a Final Investment Decision (FID) to launch a waterflood project at its Vito asset in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Trend reports.
According to the company, the project will involve injecting water into the reservoir to displace additional oil, a technique aimed at boosting production.
Scheduled to commence in 2027, the waterflood process is expected to significantly increase production capacity at the Vito field.
“Waterflood has proven its value over time as we aim to optimize our hubs in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Zoë Yujnovich, Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director. “This investment will yield additional high-margin, lower-carbon barrels from our advantaged Upstream business while maximizing the potential of the Vito asset.”
Waterflooding is a secondary recovery method where injected water sweeps displaced oil towards production wells while re-pressurizing the reservoir. The three water injection wells were pre-drilled as part of the project's development plan.
Shell, a leading deep-water operator in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, boasts some of the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity levels in the world for oil production.