Study: Harnessing of oil shale could aid energy solutions CU report says another oil shale development cycle is ‘on the horizon’
Original article can be found at http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jun/14/study-harnessing-of-oil-shale-could-aid-energy/
BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Colorado’s Center of the American West released an online report Friday that examines the extensive history of oil shale and aims to “bring an impartial perspective to the debate” over its future.
Oil shale is a rock saturated with deposits of oil, so much so that the rocks are often flammable. The world’s largest deposit of the substance is located on the Western Slope.
For many years, debate has ensued between oil companies, environmentalists and policy makers on whether the oil shale should be harvested. Patty Limerick, chair of the board of the Center of the American West, co-wrote the report with Jason Hanson, a research faculty member.
“Here’s an enormous resource,” said Limerick. “It’s the subject of desire and ambitions and what we are trying to do is have one place where people are just trying to think through all of the implications … Why this has to stay in the topic of discussion is because we are so dependent on petroleum.”
Tracy Boyd, communications and sustainability manager for Shell Exploration and Production Company, said that the study of oil shale is important because it could end America’s reliance on foreign oil.
“The reason it’s so important is because the size of this resource is enormous,” Boyd said. “What the industry typically thinks is recoverable, by comparison, is three times the size of Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves.”
Hanson said it’s important to note that while another oil shale boom hasn’t happened yet, this report says another “development cycle is on the horizon.”
Oil shale development — currently underway in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado — is controversial because the process for recovering the substance isn’t perfected. According to Hanson, Shell has been researching oil shale refinement since the early 1980s, but only as recently as four years ago have more companies like Chevron and the American Shale Oil Co. also become interested.
“Currently we don’t have a good way to get it out,” said Hanson. “It’s difficult in that way.”
One technology currently being researched and developed is In situ, which heats the oil shale rock underground in a way that will separate the oil from the rock and then pump the oil out.
Karin Sheldon, executive director at Western Resource Advocates — a nonprofit environmental law and policy organization — said, that like many others, she is wondering what the trade-off will be when it comes to giving up land for oil shale refinement. Sheldon said that most of the processes use a lot of water — for one barrel of oil it takes roughly four barrels of water.
“We wanted to examine it before it began with the question of, ‘How much water will be necessary to do it?’” said Sheldon.
Boyd said that this process is at least 15 years away from being commercially deployed.
“We’re not in a hurry and we haven’t been in a hurry,” said Boyd. “We’ve been researching since 1981 and some aspects before that. Our commitment is what we call doing oil shale the right way, economically viable, environmentally responsible and socially sustainable.”