In California's San Joaquin Valley, Chevron is dramatically extending the producing life of some of the oldest oil fields in the United States. The Kern River Field, for one, is more than a century old. Several decades ago, it was in a steep production decline. With the application of advanced steamflood technologies, Kern River produced its 2 billionth barrel of oil in 2007, making it one of the largest and most prolific fields in the United States. We are exporting best practices learned in the San Joaquin Valley to heavy oil fields in other parts of the world, including Indonesia and the Partitioned Neutral Zone between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Technologies such as advanced steamflooding are enabling us to increase the value of existing resources while helping us develop the resources of tomorrow.
Photo: San Joaquin Valley steamflood operations, McKittrick Field, Bakersfield, California: Allison Snyder, operations supervisor.