Geopolitics of heavy crudes and bitumens

Journal Article · Fri Mar 12 04:00:00 EST 1982 · Energy Detente; (United States)

OSTI ID:6942881

The geography of heavy crudes and bitumens is even more elitist than it is for conventional petroleum: three countries - Canada, Venezuela, and the USSR - hold 88% of those resources as recoverable economically and technologically. Thus, these countries also hold a medium-term alternative to conventional petroleum concentrated mainly in the Middle East. Production, too, is dominated by only a few nations, with Venezuela, the US, Mexico, China, and Canada producing about 70% of world supplies of petroleum under 20/sup 0/API. At the Second International Conference on Heavy Crudes and Tar Sands held in Caracas, Venezuela in February 1982, Energy Detente established that 671.7 billion barrels of nonconventional (under 20/sup 0/API) hydrocarbons are recoverable with proven technology - and their exploitation is economically superior to that of conventional crudes using tertiary recovery methods. The Definitions Committee of the above conference set definitions for heavy crudes, extra heavy crudes, and bitumens, which are given here. This issue updates the geography of heavyweight oil and addresses the geopolitical implications. The hydrocarbon price series for the Western Hemisphere is updated.

• OSTI ID: 6942881
• Journal Information: Energy Detente; (United States), Journal Name: Energy Detente; (United States) Vol. 3:3; ISSN EDETD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English and Spanish

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300 -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
021000 -- Petroleum-- Legislation & Regulations
04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040400 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Oil Production
Recovery
& Refining
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
294002* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Petroleum
294004 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Oil Shales & Tar Sands
BITUMENS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
DATA
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GLOBAL ASPECTS
INFORMATION
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
MATERIALS
NATURAL GAS
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
PRICES
RECOVERY
RESERVES
RESOURCES
STANDARDS
STATISTICAL DATA
TAR
VISCOSITY