An owner's guide to mineral rights on the Yates Field Unit — operated by Kinder Morgan Production on the Yates field in the Permian Basin (Central Basin Platform).
Quick answer
Approximate well count: 600+
First production: 1926
Recent monthly oil production: 800,000+ bbl
Recovery method: Pressure maintenance + nitrogen injection
Yates Field is one of the largest oil fields ever discovered in the United States — with cumulative production exceeding 1.5 billion barrels since its 1926 discovery. The unit operates under sophisticated pressure-maintenance and nitrogen-injection programs designed to extend ultimate recovery from the San Andres carbonate reservoir.
The Yates Field Unit is operated by Kinder Morgan Production as one of the long-tenured unitized oil operations in the Permian Basin (Central Basin Platform). With first production dating to 1926 and recent monthly oil output of 800,000+ barrels, the unit demonstrates the long-tail production profile that characterizes mature unitized operations in the region.
The Yates field produces from the San Andres reservoir. Modern operating consolidation under the Yates Field Unit framework has stabilized field-level production through pressure maintenance + nitrogen injection.
For broader context on the Permian Basin (Central Basin Platform) producing region, see our Permian Basin mineral rights guide.
Mineral interests in the Yates Field Unit typically take one of these forms:
Producing royalty interest — your tract's contribution to the unit's monthly revenue, paid by the operator
Non-producing mineral interest — fee mineral ownership in a tract currently outside active producing zones
Overriding royalty interest (ORRI) — a royalty carved out of a working interest
Non-participating royalty interest (NPRI) — a royalty interest with no leasing or development rights
Many Yates Field Unit interests are inherited multiple generations deep, with original lease bonus paid in the early discovery era. Current Yates Field Unit mineral owners frequently include heirs spread across multiple states.
Direct buyers value Yates Field Unit mineral interests using a discounted cash flow approach with these key inputs:
Decline rate — slow, typical of long-life unitized waterflood / EOR wells
Remaining reserve life — long on actively-maintained units
Operator quality — Kinder Morgan Production is an established operator in the Permian Basin (Central Basin Platform)
EOR upside — Pressure maintenance + nitrogen injection operations can extend ultimate recovery beyond primary depletion estimates
Discount rate — market-based, reflecting stable unitized cash flows
Buckhead Energy buys mineral rights and royalty interests on the Yates Field Unit. Out-of-state owners are common — many interests are inherited multiple generations deep. We handle the entire process remotely: free written offer by email, deed signed before a notary in your state, recorded with the Pecos County clerk, and proceeds paid by check or wire once the deed is recorded.
The Yates Field Discovery of 1926 — The Field That Opened the Permian Basin (Historical)
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