Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
With crude-oil prices inching toward $60 a barrel earlier this month, renewed talk of tapping Colorado’s vast oil-shale resources wasn’t surprising. This time, federal lawmakers are wisely urging caution in possible shale development to avoid the dislocations of the frenetic oil-shale boom and bust of the early 1980s.
The world’s oil production may be about to reach its peak – forever. Such apocalyptic prophecies often surface in the middle of the northern hemisphere winter. What is unusual is that this time the doomsday scenario has gained serious credibility among respected analysts and commentators.
An office of the US Department of Energy addresses – and supports – Peak Oil research in this unusually frank document, Strategic Significance of America’s Oil Shale Resource. An essential reference.
The U.S. government said Tuesday it was ready to resurrect oil shale drilling in the Rocky Mountains, a technology heralded 30 years ago to boost America’s energy output until it failed financially.
Shell is reconsidering decades old technology to attempt to produce liquids from shale oil in the US.
I’m glad to see the surge of interest in the coming peak of world oil production, even though the prospect is grim. Once again, people are willing to think about non-renewable resources and the consequences of an economy based on them. ….Most of the new information stems from the work of two little-known scientists, both deceased: petroleum geologist M. King Hubbert and systems ecologist Howard Odum.
Shell Canada outlined $4 billion worth of expansions and de-bottlenecking at its Athabasca Oil Sands Project yesterday. The work will eventually bring the project to 500,000 barrels per day in production.
Queensland Energy Resources, which runs the demonstration plant, says it will be placed into care and maintenance around September. The controversial project has been plagued by environmental issues.
Predictions of imminent oil shortages have been made throughout the 20th century. Although all previous predictions have been false, in recent years a new generation of predictions based on the Hubbert model have become ascendant and attracted media attention.
