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Sneak Peek JIOSS Dialogue: Q&A With Oil Shale Leaders


We asked a selection of JIOSS's experts about the immediate challenges facing the development of oil shale, to dispel the facts from fiction and what is at the top of their oil shale to do list. The below is a brief taster into the topics up for discussion at JIOSS 2012. Don't miss your chance to ask the world's oil shale leaders how they are tackling project head on at the Dead Sea in May.
What is at the top of you oil shale 'to do' list?
Completion and start up of the Enefit280 oil plant in Estonia.

Harri Mikk, Member Of The Management Board, Enefit, Estonia
We are currently raising further finance for project development.

Chris Morgan, Managing Director, Jordan Energy and Mining Limited, Jordan
Carry out bankable feasibility studies, looking for a suitable partner (investor).

Jamal M Alali, General Manager, Aqaba Petroleum for Oil Shale Co, Jordan
Transfer lessons learned in development of oil sands and gas-to-liquids projects to the emerging oil shale industry.

Thomas A. Sladek, Director, Ockham Energy Services, USA
Improve the industry's communications with key stakeholders to raise their awareness about oil shale as a major energy resource. Oil shale represents a significant resource. Total world resources of shale oil are conservatively estimated at 4.8 trillion barrels. This is almost 4 times more than the crude oil resources which stand at 1.3 trillion barrels.

Christophe Frei, Secretary General, World Energy Council, UK
What is the most immediate challenge facing oil shale developments?
After the completion of our Enefit280 plant in Estonia, the most immediate challenge for us is going to be financing the next larger scale oil shale project. Either the further expansion of the oil industry in Estonia to reach 20 000 bbl/day production, or the oil shale fired power plant in Jordan..

Harri Mikk, Member Of The Management Board, Enefit, Estonia
The Arab Spring has not helped in terms of market sentiment for Jordan, other more global issues keep negative perceptions on oil shale sector water use and CO2 footprint; however independent studies show that oil shale is no worse and often better in these regards to secondary and tertiary recovery techniques for conventional oil.

Chris Morgan, Managing Director, Jordan Energy and Mining Limited, Jordan
Financing and then to build process technology on ground (at least one installation) tailored to Jordan oil shale.

Jamal M Alali, General Manager, Aqaba Petroleum for Oil Shale Co, Jordan
Availability of debt financing.

Thomas A. Sladek, Director, Ockham Energy Services, USA
To ensure that policy decisions and regulations are made based on facts and to improve economics of oil shale production. There are several technologies which make it possible to produce shale oil at current market conditions. Economies of scale are needed to lower unit production costs of these technologies and units would have to become bigger.

Christophe Frei, Secretary General, World Energy Council, UK
How can this be over come?
Proof of concept in Estonia with Enefit280, proper engineering and project management and keeping investment cost under control.

Harri Mikk, Member Of The Management Board, Enefit, Estonia
By a carefully managed PR campaign showing upsides for oil shale development in countries like Jordan (job creation, energy self-sufficiency, foreign currencies savings, technology transfer etc.) and factual and independently compiled technical responses to the sensitive issues.

Chris Morgan, Managing Director, Jordan Energy and Mining Limited, Jordan
Convince investors.

Jamal M Alali, General Manager, Aqaba Petroleum for Oil Shale Co, Jordan
End the global recession. Provide sovereign guarantees.

Thomas A. Sladek, Director, Ockham Energy Services, USA
Specific and targeted communications campaigns to improve the image of oil shale. The economics will be improved as technologies develop and the economies of scale kick in.

Christophe Frei, Secretary General, World Energy Council, UK
How can countries best focus their efforts to support a first generation oil shale industry that is economic and sustainable?
The Jordan program for oil shale concessions provides a good example how to do it. Create a stable regulatory environment and don't burden the developer before the industry is up and running.

Harri Mikk, Member Of The Management Board, Enefit, Estonia
By Governments clearly endorsing the development of the sector, by confirming internationally attractive and stable legal, fiscal and environmental frameworks linked to long term (40-50 years) concession periods, allowing full repayment of capital and expansion options.

Chris Morgan, Managing Director, Jordan Energy and Mining Limited, Jordan
I believe that Government should help on installing a proved processing technology (surface retorting) on ground.

Jamal M Alali, General Manager, Aqaba Petroleum for Oil Shale Co, Jordan
Provide clear guidelines to permitting processes. Ensure adequate staff are available to review permit applications, negotiate permits, and monitor compliance. Be prepared to provide sovereign guarantees (such as loan guarantees and purchase agreements) to facilitate financing. Provide essential infrastructure for the plants, such as roads, rail lines, pipelines, fuel gas, electricity, water supplies, waste management facilities. Provide training for employees. Provide community facilities - housing, schools, hospitals, utilities, police and fire protection, recreation, water supplies, sewerage.

Thomas A. Sladek, Director, Ockham Energy Services, USA
Currently the oil shale industry is concentrated in seven countries: Brazil, China Estonia, Germany, Israel, Russia and the United Kingdom. They together produced over 30 million tonnes of oil shale per year between 1963 and 1992. From the peak in 1981, the annual production dropped to about 15 million tonnes. Most of this decline can be explained by downsizing of the Estonian oil shale industry. This decline was not due to diminishing supplies of oil shale but to the fact that oil shale could not compete economically with petroleum as a fossil energy resources. Petroleum-based crude oil is cheaper to produce today than shale oil mainly because of the additional costs of mining and extracting the energy from oil shale. Due to the higher costs, only a few deposits of oil shale are currently being exploited.

Not every country has oil shale resources and each county faces its own energy challenges and therefore the efforts to support the nascent oil shale industry will vary between countries and regions. The first generation of oil shale industry will need to get its act together to ensure its rightful place within the country's energy mix, and alleviate concerns about its sustainability and profitability.

Christophe Frei, Secretary General, World Energy Council, UK
What are the benefits and opportunities provided by an oil shale industry to local communities?
Oil shale industry is always local. Compared to the conventional oil and gas industry it creates a large number of jobs due to mining. The actual production and adding value to the product takes place where the resource is actually located. You don't export oil shale rock to a different country neither do you export totally unrefined product. Therefore the value added to the resource stays in the country even if the end product itself might be exported. In addition, for a country like Jordan it's the only way to guarantee energy security both in terms of electricity and transportation fuels and to balance the trade deficit that is challenging the country right now.

Harri Mikk, Member Of The Management Board, Enefit, Estonia
Obviously jobs – direct and indirect due to the local multiplier effect, wealth to the community, technology transfer, training and academic advancement and sponsorship, kudos as a world's first in an exciting developing sector (oil shale development now is where tar sands in Canada were 25-30 years ago).

Chris Morgan, Managing Director, Jordan Energy and Mining Limited, Jordan
There are many, building up new industry, employment, develop remote areas, indirect businesses for locals and increase income.
Jamal M Alali, General Manager, Aqaba Petroleum for Oil Shale Co, Jordan
Employment opportunities both in the oil shale plants and related and ancillary industries and also economic and infrastructure development.

Thomas A. Sladek, Director, Ockham Energy Services, USA
Local communities will benefit in terms of new employment opportunities, and attracting skilled labor with a specific skills set of oil shale expertise. Depending on the nature of the local reserves, it can be a very important economic and social advantage generating considerable income for the community.

Christophe Frei, Secretary General, World Energy Council, UK
Why aren't more oil shale projects moving forward on a commercial scale?
Everyone is waiting a new large scale oil plant to be built and successfully put into operation. Our Enefit280 will be one of such plants and it will make new oil shale developments easier not just for us, for everyone.

Harri Mikk, Member Of The Management Board, Enefit, Estonia
Access to capital, environmental impact perceptions, optimal technology options and stages of development, lack of current operating plants, existing technology risk perceptions, Arab spring issues in MENA Countries.

Chris Morgan, Managing Director, Jordan Energy and Mining Limited, Jordan
So far no commercial scale oil shale industry exists in the world, all are state companies since there is no stock price for syncrude oil produced from oil shale.

Jamal M Alali, General Manager, Aqaba Petroleum for Oil Shale Co, Jordan
Lack of debt and equity financing and uncertain future price of conventional crude oil. In the MENA region especially, there is political and social instability.

Thomas A. Sladek, Director, Ockham Energy Services, USA
In many countries, existing oil shale technologies are not competitive under the market requirements. The currently relatively high production costs. environmental regulations, high water demand, social impacts and other factors can be another hurdle to overcome, so is local opposition in certain countries. Current abundance and relatively moderate prices of crude oil do not provide a sufficient economic incentive for development of oil shale in some countries.

In the same way as most industrial processes, production of shale oil faces a number of environmental challenges. In-situ technologies can be harmful to groundwater and other oil shale processing technologies require large amounts of water. The environmental impacts of above ground retorting are much more technology-specific. For example, technologies using gaseous heat carriers have a problem with solid waste containing organic residue. Most solid heat carrier technologies struggle with high CO2 emissions. One of the most environmentally friendly technologies of producing shale oil is Enefit, which does not generate organic waste nor use excessive amounts of water.

Christophe Frei, Secretary General, World Energy Council, UK