Chevron May Use Solar in Oilfield Shared by Kuwait, Saudi

Chevron Corp. is considering using solar energy to produce the steam needed to pump heavy crude from an oilfield straddling Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Chevron may start a pilot solar plant at the end of 2013, Hashim al-Rifaai, chairman and managing director of Kuwait Gulf Oil Co., told reporters in Abu Dhabi today. Energy from the sun would heat water to create steam, which would then be injected underground to make the heavy oil liquid enough to flow, al-Rifaai said.