Energy and how it is captured and consumed is barely viable in tar sands production. While the amount of oil in places such as the tar sands in Alberta or the Orinoco Belt in Venezuela may have deposits of similar size to the reserves of countries such as Saudi Arabia or Iraq, the return of new energy after expending energy in production is not even close. In Iraq, the process of using one barrel of oil generates 100 new barrels. In the tar sands, estimates of 3 to 1 and even as low as 1.5 to 1 have been made. Offsetting the net energy loss would require minimally 25-30 tar sands facilities for one Saudi plant operating at the same capacity.
Exporting energy
2011-02-07
By Jodi Lundmark,
tbnewswatch.com
According to the president of the Oil Sands Developers Groups, Thunder Bay's port and rail lines make the city an important gateway for oil exports.
It might surprise people to know that more than 21 per cent of the United States’ crude oil comes from Canada, said the president of the Oil Sands Developers Group.
Investing In the Oil Sands: 4 Stocks
Frank J. Constantino
February 13, 2011
It seems everyone, including investors, are coming to grips with the fact that higher crude oil prices are here to stay. The fact is, the U.S., China, and other world economies have a insatiable demand for oil. While we are dependent on the Middle East for most of our oil, there are alternatives. The Canadian oil sands region is in the Alberta region of Canada. This massive area of oil reserves is second in size only to Saudi Arabia.
ISRAEL: A controversial shale project and energy security
February 6, 2011
LA Times
The suspension of Egyptian gas supply to Israel has lighted a fire under the feet of Israeli officials, businessmen and shareholders trying to assess how events in Egypt will affect Israel's energy economy.
Initial assessments that it is in Egypt's interests to keep the lucrative gas deals with Israel may prove right when the dust settles. But the shake-up in Egypt is a wake-up call for Israel, too.
Fossil fuels will dominate
Energy: Demand for renewables will be slow, says Saudi oil baron
Lynn Moore
The Province
September 14, 2010
Fossil fuels will continue to rule the global energy mix for the next 30
to 40 years, the president and CEO of Saudi Aramco told the World Energy
Congress during Monday's keynote address.
The growth of renewable energy sources and more energy efficiency
technologies will be "slow and uneven" due to a range of factors including
consumer acceptance issues, Khalid Al-Falih said.
OPTI is the Israeli Ormat offshoot, designed to bring "cogeneration" (burning dirty waste gunk for 'in-house' energy) to Canada, ala to make it commercially viable to do the same to a similar oilshale deposit in the Negev Desert.
--M
OPTI 'going to zero,' RBC says
BOYD ERMAN
Globe and Mail Update
Posted on Wednesday, February 2, 2011
OPTI Canada's hiring of Lazard Frères & Co. is a sign that the oil sands developer is "preparing for either a debt restructuring or a bankruptcy proceeding" according to RBC Dominion Securities.
Higher Oil Sands, Downstream Earnings Benefit Suncor
by Allen Good | 02 Feb 11
Advertisement
Egypt crisis opens door for oil sands
John Ivison, National Post · Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011
The escalating tension in Egypt has provided Stephen Harper with an unexpected opportunity to push for a guarantee that there will be no border tax on Canada's oil sands when he visits U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Friday.
The two men are expected to sign a major security and trade deal, which will likely be long on promises and short on specifics.
Energy regulator okays Alberta’s ninth open-pit oil sands mine
JOSH WINGROVE
Edmonton— Globe and Mail Update
Published Thursday, Feb. 03, 2011
Despite mounting criticism from academics and the federal government over Alberta’s patchwork environmental monitoring regime, a provincial energy regulator approved the province’s ninth open-pit oil sands mine last week.
The approval is based on data from the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program, an industry-led body that has been the subject of extensive, pointed criticism from three separate reports over the past two months.
Ditch oilsands monitoring group
Edmonton Journal February 3, 2011
Imagine your boss gave you a job evaluation where you only passed one category out of nine. You would probably be packing up your desk or laying down your tools.
But not if your job was to monitor the impact of the oilsands on rivers and lakes. In that case, you'd be allowed to "adjust" your performance in the future.
