Peak oil review – August 4
An executive summary of weekly news from a US peak oil perspective, featuring:
– Production and Prices
– Iran
– Nigeria
– China
– In the Congress
– Energy Briefs
Deepwater Oil
Lifting Drilling Moratoriums–One Important Step to Control Oil Imports
Congressional leaders use the sound bite, “We can’t drill our way out of this oil mess.” Of course; who ever claimed we could? But we can’t conserve our way out either. Reducing demand is a long-term process; “evolution” may be a more accurate term. Tightening CAFE standards will ease demand, but the benefit would be spread over many years. For long-term reduction, we would have to overhaul our daily travel patterns through societal lifestyle changes while we restructure our cities and suburbs. Such fundamental changes will take a human generation or longer. It took decades for the car culture to evolve in the U.S. It will take that long to reverse it.
Prices & supplies – July 21
There may be oil offshore, but…
Off-Shore drilling pluses and minuses (podcast)- interview with Robert Kaufman
Offshore drilling safer, but small spills routine
Peak oil – Jan 15
Indonesia: No longer an oil exporter
Total CEO: Near peak
Simmons: $100 oil “pretty cheap”
Simmons interview
Economist predicts $1.50 a litre for gasoline
God is Brazilian?
Brazil’s announcement of the Tupi discovery created a lot of buzz in the oil industry and the press. Let’s take a closer look at Brazil’s oil production and what role the Tupi field will likely play in the future.
Limits to growth and the Hedberg conference
The Hedberg meeting brought together the world’s experts on the future oil supply. Unfortunately, no one from the peak oil research community was invited to attend. Representatives of government organizations, the world’s oil companies, consultancies and independent geologists shared their proprietary data to assess what our oil future is, and thereby examine the peak oil question. …The good news about the Hedberg conference results is the recognition of limits to growth in future oil production, a recognition that is absent in EIA forecasts.
Loss of Arctic ice leaves experts stunned
Experts say they are “stunned” by the loss of ice, with an area almost twice as big as the UK disappearing in the last week alone.
Is this a false alarm?
Rebuttal to many of the common arguments against peak oil. Includes: why this is not like 1970s, impact of higher prices, improved technology, Canadian oil sands, oil shale, Jack 2 field, Acrtic National Wild Life Reserve, and other questions.
Giant oil fields and their importance for future oil production
PhD thesis develops a model to forecast future production from giant fields, which is then used to predict future oil production. In all scenarios, peak oil occurs at about the same time as the giant fields peak. Worst case: 2008. Best case: 2018.
Energy policy – Jan 3
Reserves divided between 2 superpower blocs; war over underwater reserves?
Bush to talk tough on energy but snub Kyoto
Will new Congress change our disastrous energy policy?
Gov’t, industry on peak oil – Nov 9
Shell president on new fuels, energy security /
How Chevron spins black gold /
Energy Tribune Speaks with Guy Caruso (U.S. Dept of Energy)
Chevron conquers the rock
Jack #2 demonstrates a key element of the Peak Oil thesis. That is, that the “easy” oil is gone… The oil that mankind will lift from the earth in the future, on the far side of Peak Oil, will be in faraway places, in harsh climates, under excruciatingly difficult conditions, deep down, heavy, sour, and overall expensive.