Saudi Oil Kingdom Resisting Renewables

Review of a recent documentary by 60 Minutes about the Saudi Oil industry, showing their world-preeminent infrastructure, new projects, and projections; but, more significantly, their denial of and resistance to any clean alternatives.

In watching this excellent documentary, it struck me the extent to which oil has a vested interest in perpetuating their dominance, and that they would likely have no compunction to take any measure to prevent serious alternatives that would make them obsolete.
Part I includes footage showing Saudi efforts to find new oil. Up until now in their history, they’ve extracted 260 billion barrels. After stating that, the executive confidently asserts that there is “potential to add another 200 billion [barrels] — are there to be found.” The documentary takes a look at two new major facilities and the high-tech (and more expensive) methods being deployed to extract it.

At the Sheva facility, they had to move mountains of sand in order to get at the bedrock to plant their new facility, roads, and airport. They had to install a 400-mile pipeline, and they are drilling guided holes underground horizontally as far as 5 miles to get to the oil under the sand. The facility will increase the country’s production capacity from 10 to 12 million barrels per day; and will begin producing in the beginning of 2009.

Lesley Stahl also traveled to the Kareas (sp?) facility, which is “the biggest oil project in history.” It will take more than 50 years to deplete the oil there. But because the oil is low pressure, in order to extract it, the Saudis will pump sea water into the ground at a rate of 50 million barrels a day, through a pipeline from 150 miles away. The project employs 22,000 workers laying thousands of miles of pipeline, will cost 50 billion dollars over a 5 year period — paid in cash.

I should mention that this information affirms indirectly the “peak oil” premise that oil production on the planet has surpassed the half-way point, and that everything from here on will be increasingly more expensive and difficult to access. Given the abiotic oil data that shows a continual replenishment of some oil fields from deep within the earth, the “Peak Oil” dogma should not necessarily be taken at face value. However, the rate of new oil generation in these cases is not enough to keep up with current world demand.

Pure Energy Systems