British Petroleum (BP) is planning to raise recovery rates from oilfields in Abu Dhabi to 60-70 per cent from the current level of around 30-40 per cent, a senior official was quoted as saying in a media report.

“We can see the opportunity in the long run to boost recovery rates from oilfields in Abu Dhabi to 60-70  per cent,” said Salem bin Ashoor, general manager and chief representative of British Petroleum UAE, on  the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), reported Emirates news agency Wam.

"BP is a leader in deploying Enhanced Oil Recovery schemes and has developed several proprietary technologies, such as low salinity water injection to help recover more oil from reservoirs. Additionally, BP is a leader in water flood technology, a type of enhanced oil recovery."

The official added in statements to Adipec News that the British oil giant is "maximising recovery from some of the world’s largest reservoirs and from maturing fields such as in Azerbaijan, Iraq, Russia and the US.

On how much BP is betting on R&D and innovation, Bin Ashoor said that technology and innovation are key players in the oil and gas industry, particularly here in Abu Dhabi.

"We are working with Adnoc and our joint ventures to maximise resource discovery and recovery through the application of our global expertise and upstream technology. This includes the need for smart and tailored technology to maintain the plateau production rate in giant fields, such as enhanced oil recovery and technologies."