“PDO has successfully extended the life of its heavy oil assets by deploying innovative EOR technologies over the past few decades,” said Raoul Restucci, Managing Director of PDO. “The GlassPoint system is proving it can reliably fuel thermal EOR with solar power while reducing the need to burn natural gas. This solar EOR solution provides for an economically viable and environmentally sustainable long term resource to develop Oman’s heavy oil portfolio, while saving valuable natural gas resources for use in other gas-dependent industries.”

Today, EOR applications account for a significant portion of Oman’s annual natural gas consumption. By incorporating solar steam, PDO can significantly reduce the amount of natural gas it burns to produce steam for EOR. GlassPoint’s solution can cut natural gas used for EOR by up to 80 percent, helping Oman release its natural gas resources for higher value applications such as power generation, desalination, industrial development or export as LNG.

GlassPoint’s unique Enclosed Trough design encloses parabolic mirrors inside a glasshouse structure, protecting the solar collectors from harsh conditions of high wind, dust, dirt, sand and humidity common to Middle East oilfields. The glasshouse enclosure enables the use of ultra-light, low-cost reflective materials and proven automated washing equipment, further reducing costs. GlassPoint steam generators are designed to use the same low-quality boiler water as once-through steam generators, the industry’s current standard, eliminating the need for costly water pretreatment.