What is produced water?
Produced water is water that occurs naturally, deep underground and is produced as a by-product of the oil and gas extraction process. This water can be treated for reuse, typically within the oilfield, in which case it’s referred to as “recycled water.”
In the water-scarce Permian Basin, ExxonMobil is reducing freshwater use by recycling produced water in its operations. We challenged ourselves to reach 90% recycled water in our operations by 2030, and we’ve met that goal five years ahead of schedule.
ExxonMobil is a leader in produced water management by spearheading industry-wide approaches to reduce injection risks and advancing water treatment technologies that maximize produced water benefits. Produced water management includes the handling, treatment and deep underground disposal of water produced during oil and gas extraction.