These satellite images of a small part of the arctic national wildlife refuge show the site of what, so far, is the only oil well ever drilled in the refuge, an exploratory well known as kic1. The 14 producing oil fields comprised of five units and nine additional participating areas have physically altered 42 ha not including the transalaska pipeline by mining gravel and placing gravel fill. The prospects and challenges for arctic oil development. The long road to russias first arctic oil production. A simple, fast and easytouse solution immediate feedback on ice. Nov 14, 2017 norway sued over arctic oil exploration plans this article is more than 2 years old. On march 27, 2015, the national petroleum council npc in approving its report. Heres what oil drilling looks like in the arctic refuge. Activities in the early decades of arctic oil and gas exploration and. Decision on oil and gas exploration in an arctic area.
Norway sued over arctic oil exploration plans this article is more than 2 years old. October 2014 the prospects and challenges for arctic oil development 2 between arctic states will be prerequisites for success. Oil and natural gas resources map of the arctic ocean. Wwf works to prevent and reduce the negative impact of oil, gas and mining on the arctic environment by pushing companies to strengthen environmental responsibility and by improving the regulatory framework. It is referred to as unconventional because of the complications associated with operating in the extreme. The same issue addressed by oil exploration is faced all across the arctic by exploration teams. Obama withdraws parts of atlantic, arctic from oil exploration. Arctic oil and gas development center for strategic and. Nine of the licences are located in the barents sea and three in the norwegian sea off central norway, the ministry of oil and energy said.
Most of the oil comes from the north slope, referring to the land adjacent. The arctic science portal is a library of links to websites containing scientific information about the arctic. Oil exploration and sea ice projections in the arctic. At the same time, environmental risks and popular opposition to oil and gas. The arctic offshore oil and gas guidelines was originally written in response to the third ministerial conference on the protection of the arctic environment 1996 which expressed concern regarding the. The oil ministry is offering 93 blocks in the barents sea, entirely in the. Oil and gas activities to the present arctic portal library. Despite industry optimism, arctic drilling remains controversial in norway, a country of 5. Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the arctic article pdf available in science 3245931. Drilling for oil in the arctic 3 preface this report examines the gap that exists between the growing threat of a major oil spill in the arctic and the capacity that exists to respond to it. Dec 15, 2017 these satellite images of a small part of the arctic national wildlife refuge show the site of what, so far, is the only oil well ever drilled in the refuge, an exploratory well known as kic1.
Of the eight arctic council nations, russia is by far the most deeply invested in arctic ocean petroleum exploration and drilling. Oil exploration and development on the north slope results in environmental change. Global climate change may introduce additional factors that need to be taken into account. The exploration of the arctic for petroleum is considered to be extremely technically challenging. This is something that many have been looking forward to for some time.
At the same time, environmental risks and popular opposition to oil and gas activity in the arctic are factors that could undermine. Oil production in the arctic national wildlife refuge. Importantly, nonconventional resources, such as coal bed methane, gas hydrates, shale gas and shale oil, along with oil sands, were explicitly excluded. The group has been lobbying for all oil drilling and exploration in the arctic to stop. Offshore oil and gas governance in the arctic brookings institution. Complicating an already complicated picture by rob huebert january, 2014 page 1 canada, the arctic council, greenpeace, and arctic oil. Cleaning up oil spills in icecovered waters will be more. Full details about each field, platform and pipeline shown on the map is listed behind each symbol and. A history of oil in the arctic today in alaska, the vast majority of oil from the states arctic region comes from onshore drilling wells. Environmental protection agency eppr emergency, prevention, preparedness, and response arctic council. A year ago this september, royal dutch shell plc began the first new oil drilling in u.
The united states geological survey estimates that over 87% of the arctic s oil and natural gas resource about 360 billion barrels oil equivalent is located in seven arctic basin provinces. Mounting an effective response to a major oil spill in the arctic is presently not possible due to. Canada, the arctic council, greenpeace, and arctic oil. Denmark through greenland has not been a major player in hydrocarbon development. Background and issues for congress congressional research service arctic increase the risk of pollution in the region. Four myths about the supposed oil and gas bonanza in the. A history of oil in the arctic climate interpreter. Theres no climatesafe future that involves drilling in the arctic ocean. The arctic zone that obama has withdrawn from oil leasing includes most of the chukchi sea and beaufort sea, and now totals 125 million acres. A comparison of alaskas north shore and prudhoe bay the largest oil field in north america with the yamal peninsula and the bovanenkovo. In overcoming the technical challenges of oil production in the arctic, are we making the most of a strategic resource or heading for an environmental and political minefield. It is referred to as unconventional because of the complications associated with operating in the extreme weather conditions and offshore.
Amerasian basin, arctic alaska basin, east barents basin, east greenland rift basin, west greenlandeast canada basin, west siberian basin, and the yenisey. With offshore drilling operations significantly benefiting the arctic countries economies, it is. Department of the interior bureau of ocean energy management bureau of safety and environmental enforcement herndon, va. For norway, natural gas exploration in the barents sea is crucial to maintain current levels of production in the future. Risks and potential impacts of oil exploration in the arctic. The city of barow, the most northerly city in the us, is ground zero for the world. Request pdf oil exploration and sea ice projections in the arctic the aim of this study is to investigate how reduction in the sea ice cover may affect oil activity in the arctic during the.
Norway faces climate lawsuit over arctic oil exploration plans. For the sake of the people and animals that call the arctic homenot to mention the global climatewe must keep offshore oil in the ground for good. Ultimate resources are estimated at 114 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 2000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. All the information we have is that an arctic oil spill would be impossible to clean up, said greenpeace. The csis energy and national security program hosted the final session in its impacts of the gulf oil spill series, which evaluated the development of arctic oil and gas resources. It will be argued that decisions concerning how and when to open up new arctic o shore areas for. A simple, fast and easytouse solution immediate feedback on ice conditions capacity to locate both grounded ice and liquid water users can be effective with only a few hours of training ready. Under the present policy, unconventional oil and gas resources cover shale oil or gas, oil sands as well as oil and gas resources located in the arctic region. Jun 21, 2017 norway has infuriated environmental groups by opening up a record number of blocks in the arctic for oil exploration.
Geological survey study estimated the recoverable oil resources of. Pdf assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the arctic. Analysis of projected crude oil production in the arctic. A significant incentive for oil exploration, albeit on. Proposed rule for oil and gas exploration drilling. Complicating an already complicated picture by rob huebert january, 2014 page 1 canada, the arctic council, greenpeace, and arctic oil drilling anada is now in its second rotation chairing the arctic council. Bsee fact sheet arctic exploratory drilling regulations. Arctic oil refers to any oil exploration or production that occurs in the far north. No economic considerations were considered, and results were determined without reference to exploration and development costs. As a result, the region has received significant interest from the petroleum industry since the onset of the 2010s oil glut in 2014, the commercial interest in arctic exploration has.
Norway faces climate lawsuit over arctic oil exploration plans campaigners say decision to open up the barents sea violates the nations constitution and threatens the paris climate. Norway has awarded 12 oil and gas exploration licences to equinor and 10 other companies focused mostly on the arctic, where oslo believes it has the greatest potential for significant new discoveries. Congress, office of technology assessment,oil production in the arctic national wildlife refuge. The united states geological survey estimates that over 87% of the arctics oil and natural gas resource about 360 billion barrels oil equivalent is located in seven.
But withdrawal would not affect existing leases in a. Norway opens up record 93 blocks for arctic oil exploration. Importantly, nonconventional resources, such as coal bed methane, gas hydrates, shale gas and shale oil, along with oil sands, were. Where the arctic oil industry is booming bloomberg. Risks and potential impacts of oil exploration in the arctic ottho heldringstraat 5. Library of congress card catalog number 88600565 for sale by the superintendent of documents u. In recent decades, decreased summer sea ice has resulted in increased shipping traffic and may encourage more offshore oil and gas exploration. Norway sued over arctic oil exploration plans the guardian. Oct 18, 2016 norway faces climate lawsuit over arctic oil exploration plans campaigners say decision to open up the barents sea violates the nations constitution and threatens the paris climate agreement the plaintiffs say that allowing oil companies to drill in the arctic risks undermining global efforts to address climate change. Proposed rule for oil and gas exploration drilling activities on the arctic outer continental shelf for 30 cfr parts 250, 254, and 550. Arctic oil and gas resources made available march 27, 2015. Denmark through greenland has not been a major player in.
Cleaning up oil spills in icecovered waters will be more difficult than in other areas, primarily because effective strategies for cleaning up oil spills in icecovered waters have yet to be developed. However, recent technological developments, as well as relatively high oil prices, have allowed for exploration. The arctic hosts large oil and natural gas resources both onshore and offshore. Offshore hydrocarbon resources in the arctic february 2016 6. May 03, 2017 despite industry optimism, arctic drilling remains controversial in norway, a country of 5. Norway has infuriated environmental groups by opening up a record number of blocks in the arctic for oil exploration. The north american arctic conventional oil and gas potential can be. Canada, the arctic council, greenpeace, and arctic oil drilling. Oil and gas account for over 50% of russian federal budget revenues. The technology and the alaskan oil context, otae394 washington, dc.
One area known to offer vast reservesbut immense challengesis the arctic. Dec 20, 2016 the arctic zone that obama has withdrawn from oil leasing includes most of the chukchi sea and beaufort sea, and now totals 125 million acres. Aug 31, 2011 the group has been lobbying for all oil drilling and exploration in the arctic to stop. The case, led by greenpeace, claims norwegian government has violated constitutional right to a healthy. The nearest response stations to arctic drilling sites are located thousands of miles away. Norway awards oil permits to 11 firms in arctic licensing. The arctic offshore oil and gas guidelines was originally written in response to the third ministerial conference on the protection of the arctic environment 1996 which expressed concern regarding the potential impacts related to future increases in offshore petroleum activity in the arctic. The vast arctic region is probably the last remaining unexplored source of hydrocarbons on the planet. The oil and gas resources of the arctic region represent one of the most promising, largely untapped hydrocarbon resources in the world.
734 1184 400 1457 1520 788 1155 171 997 1178 1216 1341 81 608 969 714 484 1370 395 1486 1262 321 900 95 206 1146 683 1474 1033 852 1387 970 1328 1503 1461 1434 1293 1269 3 1493 1477 983 1214 700 1133 1083 1080 1098