Permian Basin Braces for Oil Production Boom Amid Water Disposal Woes

The Permian Basin in Texas is primed for additional enhanced oil recovery methods, according to Steve Melzer of Melzer Consulting. In a recent presentation at the 2026 SPE Permian Basin Energy Conference and Exhibition, Melzer emphasized that the region has billions more barrels of crude oil to offer.

Melzer highlighted various technologies being used by operators in the area, including enhanced gas huffs, CO2 huff-and-puff technology, and microbially induced oil wetting. He also noted the critical importance of viscoplastic formations in these methods.

The use of carbon dioxide from data centers and gas processing plants for enhanced recovery projects is another area of interest, with Melzer suggesting that this could help produce more affordable and reliable energy while reducing carbon emissions.