SACROC

The SACROC Unit is one of the largest and longest-running CO₂-enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) projects in the world, located in Scurry County, Texas, within the Horseshoe Atoll trend of the Permian Basin. The field produces from Pennsylvanian-age Canyon Reef carbonate reservoirs, which consist of reefal buildups associated with the Horseshoe Atoll carbonate platform. Discovered in 1948 and originally developed under primary depletion followed by extensive waterflooding, SACROC transitioned to miscible CO₂ injection beginning in 1972, marking one of the earliest commercial-scale CO₂ floods globally. The project utilizes continuous CO₂ injection and water-alternating-gas (WAG) processes to mobilize residual oil trapped within complex reef facies and fractured carbonate zones. Over decades of operation, SACROC has demonstrated significant incremental recovery while storing large volumes of injected CO₂, supplied primarily through the extensive Permian Basin pipeline network sourcing natural CO₂ from Rocky Mountain domes and regional capture projects. The unit remains a cornerstone example of large-scale CO₂-EOR and CCUS integration.