The Synthetic Fuels Corporation -Will it help, hinder or hedge domestic oil shale

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5143823

Noble, E E

The Synthetic Fuels Corporation is in business to help develop a domestic synthetic fuels industry, including oil shale, by using various forms of financial assistance to hedge private investor risk in committing to this new industry. Such federal assistance for what are, first and last, private sector projects is necessary and proper because at this point the risks-to-benefits ratio is clearly in the government's favor. That is, once the synfuels option is established--once the U.S. has the capability to produce liquids and gas from coal and oil shale--the country gains benefits whether or not there is extensive commercial production. But for the industry sponsor, beyond production capability, he must also be concerned with profit, in a very uncertain energy marketplace. The Corporation expects oil shale, along with coal and tar sands/heavy oil, to form the production base for synthetic fuels. Our programmatic objective is to establish a capability for all of these resources, encompassing a variety of technologies and processes. To the extent that the general solicitation fail to provide a satisfactory diversity mix, the Corporation has a variety of other options available, including: targeted solicitations, directed negotiations (sole source bids), and issuance of special solicitations in response to industry requests. The Board will be considering them and making decisions in the months ahead.

• OSTI ID: 5143823
• Report Number(s): CONF-8210161-
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
090000 -- Biomass Fuels
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
294004* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Oil Shales & Tar Sands
299003 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation-- Other-- (-1989)
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC IMPACT
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
FEDERAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
FEDERAL EXPENDITURES
FUELS
INDUSTRY
OIL SHALE INDUSTRY
RISK ASSESSMENT
SYNTHETIC FUELS
SYNTHETIC FUELS CORPORATION
SYNTHETIC FUELS INDUSTRY