Gaines Wasson Clearfork Unit

The Gaines Wasson Clearfork Unit (GWCU) is a large-scale CO₂-enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) project located in Gaines County, Texas, on the Northwest Shelf of the Permian Basin. The project targets the Permian-age Clearfork Formation, a carbonate platform reservoir composed primarily of dolomitized shelf carbonates with layered porosity and significant heterogeneity typical of shallow-water depositional environments. Originally developed through primary production followed by extensive waterflooding, the field transitioned to tertiary recovery using miscible CO₂ injection to mobilize residual oil remaining after secondary depletion. The Gaines Wasson Clearfork Unit is part of the broader Wasson Field CO₂ flood complex operated by Occidental subsidiaries, which includes multiple units targeting different stratigraphic intervals (e.g., San Andres and Clearfork). CO₂ injection maintains reservoir pressure, improves oil mobility, and contributes to long-term geologic storage of injected CO₂ within thick carbonate sequences.