The US surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia in recoverable oil reserves: 264 billion, compared to 256 billion and 212 billion barrels, respectively. It follows from the results of the analysis of about 60 thousand oil fields that the Norwegian consulting company Rystad Energy has conducted in the past three years, RBC.
More than half of these stocks accounts for unconventional shale oil, noted in a research note Rystad. We are basically talking about shale resources to be developed in the long term after 2025. Only one Texas has reserves of shale oil in the amount of 60 billion barrels. is more than the recoverable oil reserves of China (59 billion barrels.) and Kuwait (52 billion bbl.), according to the company.
USA can increase the recoverable reserves, whereas other countries hardly commented on FT insights research analyst at Rystad Energy Per Magnus Nysveen, citing the recent discovery of oil deposits in the Permian basin, located in the territory of the States of Texas and new Mexico. “Three years ago, USA with recoverable reserves behind Russia, Canada and Saudi Arabia.
However, according to other estimates, such as BP Statistical Review, the United States continues to lag behind in stocks not only Russia and Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, Canada, Iraq and Kuwait: the proven reserves of the US are only 55 billion bbl., while Saudi Arabia — five times more (266,6 billion bbl.), and Russia — two (102,4 billion barrels.). But BP, in its review, based on official data, which are sometimes distorted, analysts Rystad Energy. The company uses a single standard in the assessment of stocks in all countries, they stressed.
Although the volume of reserves is a key factor in the cost of production is no less important, said Richard Mallinson of London consulting firm Energy Aspects. “The increase in the United States does not diminish the role of neither Saudi Arabia nor Russia, whose cost of production is one of the lowest in the world,” he said. According to the head of “Rosneft” Igor Sechin, the cost of production of his company is only $2.1 per barrel. The CEO of BP, Robert Dudley, admitted in June that this is one of the lowest in the world.
Assessment Rystad Energy, the total volume of world oil reserves is of 2.09 trillion barrels. (BP — 1.7 trillion bbl.), 70 times more than current world production — 30 billion barrels./year. For comparison: prior to 2015, the world had produced 1.3 trillion barrels. oil. Unconventional oil accounts for 30% of recoverable world reserves. The data obtained are evidence that the planet has a relatively limited volume of recoverable oil, says Rystad Energy. Given the expected growth of the global vehicle fleet from 1 billion to 2 billion cars within the next 30 years oil will not be able to meet the increasing demand for energy related to the increase in the number of private vehicles, says the company.
