California IN BRIEF : KERN COUNTY : Cogeneration Plant Planned in Oil Field

A $49-million cogeneration plant in a western Kern County oil field will provide steam for enhanced oil recovery and electricity for sale to Pacific Gas & Electric Co., officials said. Conversion Industries USA Inc. and Energy Reserve Inc. announced that they have all the permits necessary to build the 20.5-megawatt plant in the Chico Martinez Oil Field. The plant will improve oil recovery by flooding the underground oil formations with steam, rather than the current method of loosening the thick oil with bursts of steam. Steam also will be used to generate electricity for sale to PG&E.;