World Petroleum Availability 1980-2000

November 1980

NTIS order #PB81-145252
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 80-600164

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock No. 052-003-00781-9
PREFACE

The dependence by a large portion of the world on imported petroleum

makes knowledge about the future availability of petroleum on the world

market of great importance. This is particularly important for the United States

and other developed countries, because of the large volume of oil they import.

Most of the energy decisions faced by the United States in the next two decades

depend critically on the oil import issue. The level of conservation we pursue,

the rate at which we develop synthetic fuels, the resolution of the nuclear power

debate, as well as other energy issues all depend on the availability, and consequent cost, of imported oil. Recent events in the Middle East illustrate that the

availability of foreign oil is far more precarious than the physical resource base

alone might suggest.

In response to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee request for a review

of global energy trends, OTA undertook this study, which estimates plausible

levels of world oil production to the year 2000 and assesses the factors likely to

determine which levels are actually reached. To determine that potential range

of production, the study critically examines country-by-country capabilities for

oil production, various estimates of what each country will actually produce,

and prospects for new discoveries. Several world petroleum experts have

reviewed the results of OTA’s analysis.

This analysis indicates it is highly likely that there will be little or no increase in world oil production from conventional sources over current levels.

Therefore, we will most likely not be able to increase the imports above our

current level and, indeed, we will probably face intense competition before the

close of this century at even lower levels. It would be prudent to consider this

likelihood in U.S. policy actions designed to reduce our heavy dependence on

petroleum.

This technical memorandum is intended to assist Congress in the debate

over these and related foreign policy issues by discussing the amount of oil

available and the factors that control it. This study will also serve as background for two other ongoing OTA studies on technology and Soviet energy

availability and alternative energy futures.

#

/ydff.

.

JOHN H. GIBBONS

Director

. . .

111
WORLD OIL AVAILABILITY STAFF

Lionel S. Johns, Assistant Director

Energy, Materials, and Global Security Division

Richard E. Rowberg, Program Manager

Charles J. Holland, Project Director

Frank Tugwell, Policy Analyst

Marian Grochowski, Lisa Jacobson, Lillian Quigg

Other OTA Staff

Peter Sharfman, Program Manager

International Security and Commerce

Henry Kelly*

Pat Canavan, Helena Hassell, Dorothy Richroath

SUPPLEMENTS TO STAFF

Jane B. Rollins

Dan MacMillan

* Currently at the Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, Colorado.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We wish

Memorandum.

report.

to thank the following who have reviewed this Technical

They do not necessarily approve, disapprove or endorse this

Mr. M. King Hubbert

Mr. Richard Nehring

Mr. John Redmond

Shell Oil Company

Exxon Company

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

vi
Table of Contents

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 1. Petroleum Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 20 World Oil Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Total Potential Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . .21

Chapter 3. Future Non-Communist World Oil Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Developed Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

OPEC Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Non-OPEC LDC’s Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Effect of Communist Countries on Non-Communist World Oil Supply . . . .62

Projections of Non-Communist World Oil Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Chapter 4. Comparison With Other Forecasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Forecasts Made After January 1979 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Forecasts Prior to January 1979 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

vii
SUMMARY

In spite of the importance of the issue, uncertainties about world

supplies of oil from conventional sources during the next two decades are

surprisingly large. Nevertheless, it is highly likely that there will be

little or no increase in world production of oil from conventional sources.

Prudent planning should consider this possibility.

Oil production in the industrialized non-Communist world could begin to

decline by the early 1980’s. While it may be physically possible to increase

world production of oil significantly (perhaps 33%) by the 1990’s,

substantial increases are extremely unlikely because the nations capable of

contributing to such an increase have no financial or political incentive to

do so and because a number of practical problems would arise if a significant

increase in production were attempted.

Enough is known about world oil supplies to make a few specific

observations:

(1) Assuming political stability in the major exporters, non-Communist

world oil supply is likely to range between 45-60 MBD* in 1985 and 40-60 MBD

in 2000 (compared to 52 MBD in 1979). .— The sizes of— potential increases in

Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Iraq and of — the decrease in the United States — —

account for a major portion of the variation in production possibilities (10

MBD or approximately 50% of the variation in the year 2000).

* Throughout this paper oil production will be given in millions of (42

gallon) barrels per day (MBD). Unless otherwise specified, oil production

will include liquids associated with production of natural gas.

- 1 -

68-047 0 - 80 - 2
——

(2) As a group, the non-Communist industrialized countries will

experience no significant increase in production. In fact, production in

these countries may decrease by as much as 50% by the year 2000.

(3) In the short term, U.S. production may decline from its current

level of 10.2 MBD to a level of 7.2-8.5 MBD in 1985. Production in the year

2000 may range between 4-7 MBD. The high estimate for the year 2000 (7 MBD)

depends on both the annual addition of 1 billion barrels to proven reserves

and the extensive use of enhanced recovery techniques.

(4) OPEC production during the next 20 years will not differ

significantly from its current level of 31 MBD. Any increases in the

production rate will be strongly dependent upon Arab OPEC producers. Except

for Iran, only Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates have the

reserves and Iraq the estimated potential to increase production rates.

Substantial dependence on Arab OPEC (the Persian Gulf region) is likely to

continue with its obvious implications for foreign policy. In

Saudi Arabia retains its central position in OPEC. Although the

reserves which could permit an increase in production capacity

they have announced their intentions to not exceed a maximum

capacity of 12 MBD, and plan to reach this level of capacity in

earliest.

particular,

Saudis have

to 16 MDB,

sustainable

1987 at the

(5) Although production in the non-OPEC less developed countries

(LDC’s) will increase above its current level (principally as a result of

increases in Mexican production), much, if not all, of the increase in LDC

oil supply will be offset by increases in LDC demand.

- 2 -
(6) The Communist countries may cease being a net exporter of oil to

the free world by the early 1980’s as a result of declines in Soviet

production. The increased pressure caused by the entry of the Eastern

European countries (currently more than 80% dependent on the Soviet Union for

their imported source of oil) and conceivably the Soviet Union itself as

buyers on the world oil market has serious implications both for price and

foreign policy. While the Soviet Union has potentially promising areas for

increases in oil production, most of the petroleum "frontier" Soviet areas

lie either north of the Arctic Circle or in deep water where drilling is

expensive and slow; development is at least a decade away. Many technical

difficulties have already been encountered and it appears that the Soviets

have not accumulated enough technology or experience to develop these areas

rapidly. The Office of Technology Assessment has a study underway of the

contributions which U.S. and other Western technologies could make to Soviet

oil production.

(7) In addition to Mexico, some new large discoveries are possible

outside the Middle East, but there appears little possibility that the Middle

East oil fields will be duplicated elsewhere. All promising areas for large

discoveries outside the Middle East are either in the Arctic or involve areas

of territorial dispute (the Malvinas basin off the Falkland Islands and the

South China Sea). Even under optimistic discovery assumptions, it is

unlikely that substantial production from new sources will occur in this

decade. Because of the remoteness of most prospective areas, there would be

a considerable delay between the time of discovery and significant production

from any new discoveries in these areas.

- 3 -
(8) Major additions to the world’s known oil supplies are likely to

result from additional recovery in known fields rather than new field

discoveries. These new additions are not expected to alter the dominance of

the Middle East since over half of the new additions are expected to be in

the Middle East. Moreover, the world distribution of ultimately recoverable

oil is not believed to differ significantly from the known distribution

today.

(9) There iS some speculation regarding the petroleum potential of the

deep ocean areas and Antarctica. The technology and the price of oil are not

sufficient now to encourage active exploration and development of either of

these regions. Future development of these areas may also necessitate new

international agreements.

- 4 -
INTRODUCTION

The availability of petroleum in world markets is a paramount energy

issue. The conflict between Iran and Iraq has emphasized that the supply of

petroleum is far more precarious than indicated by its mere physical

availability. This report summarizes and interprets available information

concerning two main topics. The first topic is a review of available

information concerning the geological occurrence of petroleum:

(1) What are the known reserves of petroleum and what additional

petroleum resources may be added to these reserves? What is the basis for

this knowledge?

Establishing

future production

future production

the resource base is not alone sufficient to determine

rates. In addition to reserve and resource considerations,

rates will be determined by a combination of political,

technical, and economic considerations. The second topic is a projection of

future non-Communist world oil supply based on all these factors.

(2) What is a likely range of non-Communist world oil availability for

the near term (1985) and the longer term (2000) and what are the geologic,

economic, political, and technical factors that will determine these levels

of availability?

The first

geology. The

resources.

Chapter 3

chapter of the report gives a brief review of petroleum

second chapter addresses estimates of world reserves and

discusses non-Communist world oil supply which is determined

by its production and the imports and exports of the Communist countries.

- 5 -
Non-Communist world production is discussed first, followed by an analysis of

the potential effect of the Communist countries. In Chapter 4, our analysis

is compared to the projections in other studies.

Only conventional sources are treated in this report. Production from

Canadian tar sands, the Orinoco belt in Venezuela, oil shale or synthetic

products from biomass or coal are not included in the estimates given here.

This report does not address any foreign policy or domestic policy

considerations that may arise from these forecasts.

- 6 -
1. Petroleum Geology

A brief review of petroleum geology is helpful to understand world oil

resources and production rates since geology sets the upper bound on

production potential from the finite petroleum resource.

Geologists generally agree that petroleum deposits were formed from the

remains of enormous quantities of aquatic plants and organisms which became

mixed with sand and mud at the bottom of bodies of water. If a certain

regime of temperatures and pressures existed, this biological material was

converted into petroleum during geologic time. The pressure in the earth’s

crust forced the petroleum into the tiny open spaces between the grains of

imbedded sandstone and other coarse textured strata (and not into vast

underground pools). For petroleum to be present in commercial quantities

some sort of trapping mechanism must have been present to prevent its escape.

In addition, these traps must have not been breached by natural means after

accumulation occurred.

There are two major kinds of trapping mechanisms. Structural traps are

created by a deformation of the earth’s crust; the folding or faulting of

rocks results in the entrapment of petroleum. Stratigraphic traps result

from the relative difference in the porosity and permeability of the

oil-bearing rocks compared to less porous and permeable adjacent rocks, which

then serve

combinations

to prevent

having both

the further movement of oil. Many traps are

structural and stratigraphic features.

Since the oil reservoir (a rock formation or trap holding an

accumulation of petroleum) was formed from sea sediments, most reservoirs

also contain salt water. In addition, natural gas is almost always present

- 7 -
either dissolved in the oil or as free gas separate from the oil. The

associated water and natural gas are important in maintaining pressure during

petroleum

The

for areas

have led

production.

theory of petroleum formation and occurence has led to the search

containing thick beds of sedimentary rocks. Geophysical techniques

to the discovery of approximately six hundred basins (a tract of

land in which the rock strata are tilted toward a common center), both

onshore and offshore, which may contain oil or natural gas. Sufficient

seismic work has been done to give an indication of their prospective

petroleum area and their general structural aspects. In approximately four

hundred of these basins exploratory drilling in varying amounts and degrees

of success have taken place; commercial quantities of oil and gas are being

produced from approximately 160 of these basins.

There remain

However, the size,

features of these

approximately 200 basins which have not been drilled.

characteristics of the sediments, and the gross structural

basins have been determined by geophysical work.* This

lack of drilling has been due to many factors including the location of the

areas, restriction on access caused by individual governments and territorial

disputes, and most importantly, judgments about their potential for yielding

petroleum. In particular, some of these basins lie in the offshore Arctic

for which the past prices of oil have not been sufficient to justify

exploration (although this appears to be changing).

* M. Halbouty, “Acceleration in Global Exploration,w American Association of

Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, May 1978.

- 8 -
Although oil has been found in commercial quantities in approximately

160 basins, 25 of the 160 basins (containing discoveries of over 10 billion

barrels) have accounted for over 80% of total discoveries.* Not only have

oil discoveries been concentrated in a few basins, but the majority of oil

has been found in a relatively small number of large fields.**

Over 90% of the oil has been found in a small number of large fields

containing at least 100 million barrels of liquid petroleum or liquid -

equivalent (liquids plus natural gas) resources. Thus, of the more than

20,000 fields discovered, 1700 contain over approximately 900 of the 1000

billion barrels which had been produced or were known to exist at the end of

1975.*** Further, an even smaller number of approximately 280 giant fields

(containing at least 500 million barrels in liquids or liquids equivalent)

contained approximately 75% of the oil found through 1975.

The U.S. has a smaller share of oil found in large fields than the

worldwide average of 90%. However, approximately 70% of the oil found in the

U.S. has been found in large fields containing at least 100 million barrels

of liquid petroleum or liquids equivalent. The significance of large fields

for the U.S. is illustrated by the petroleum discoveries in the Permian

Basin, which were responsible for 18% of the crude oil and 10% of the natural

gas discovered in the U.S. through 1974. The Permian Basin has been

extensively explored, resulting in the discovery of over 4000 oil and gas

fields by the end of 1974. At that time over 60% of the oil and gas had

‘!l.R Root and E.D. Attanasi “World Petroleum Availability,” United States

Geological Survey, 1979.

**

Field is used to refer to a single accumulation (in which case it is

synonymous with reservoir) or a set of closely related accumulations of

petroleum.

***

R. Nehring, Giant Oil Fields and World Oil Resources. Rand Corp., June

1978, p. Vii.

- 9 -

68-047 - 80 - 3
been discovered in the 70 largest fields while only 2% had been discovered in

the 2700 smallest fields (fields containing less than 1 million barrels of

*

oil or equivalent).

Many experts expect the importance of large fields for new discoveries

to continue, for both upon geologic and economic reasons. In new offshore

areas, only large fields are economical to develop at today’s oil prices ($30

per barrel), although in places where the associated infrastructure

(pipelines, etc.) exists, smaller finds may be sought and developed.

The earliest discoveries of oil and gas made over a century ago were

based on surface seepages and analyses of surface geology. After a century

of exploration, petroleum exploration has become extremely sophisticated.

New techniques and instrumentation, such as geophysical surveys, geochemical

analysis and subsurface logging, combined with the use of computers, provide

information on structural characteristics of the subsurface.

These techniques provide only raw data which must be evaluated by

geologists and geophysicists; the room for judgment and, therefore,

differences in interpretation remains great. Drilling remains the only way

to determine the actual existence of petroleum resources, with the other

exploration techniques providing guidance as to the most promising locations

within a basin.

b. H. Root, L. J. Drew, “The Pattern of Petroleum Discovery Rates” in

American Scientist, vol. 67 (1979), PP* 648-652.

- 10 -
An example illustrating the geologic uncertainties and risks in oil

exploration is the Destin Dome located in the Gulf of Mexico. Over six

hundred million dollars was paid by oil companies for leases around the

Destin Dome in view of its extremely promising petroleum potential. After

drilling many dry holes, the companies involved returned the leases to the

government with no petroleum produced.

Once oil is found in commercial quantities, there is a substantial delay

until production begins, and such delays can last several years in many

offshore areas. After the initial discovery further drilling and planning is

necessary to determine the optimum way to exploit the find. In addition, the

necessary infrastructure (pipelines, other supporting equipment and people)

must be located

production must

Production

and bought. In many Arctic areas the technology to allow

still be developed.

begins initially with the oil allowed to flow naturally from

the high pressure area underground to the surface. This natural recovery,

called primary recovery, depends on reservoir pressure and the natural drive

mechanism. The drive mechanism refers to the sources of energy within the

reservoir that will assist production, and

properties of the oil, gas and water found in

relative proportions and locations.

depends upon the physical

a reservoir and upon their

Secondary recovery is another procedure used to boost recovery from a

reservoir. This procedure consists of reinfecting either associated gas or

water near the well to maintain underground pressure. In the past, secondary

recovery techniques followed the use of primary recovery techniques; today

these techniques may be used simultaneously to increase total production.

-11 -
. — . —

The

recovery

percentage of the oil in place recovered

varies greatly from field to field.

using primary and secondary

Thirty three percent is

sometimes used as an average figure based upon experience in the U.S.;

however, recovery in the East Texas oil field which has a natural water drive

may exceed 75%.

Production rates are limited by the drive mechanism and other geologic

factors. In addition, economic and resource maximization considerations

(production at too fast a rate would lead to a reduction in total recovery)

also influence production rates. A general planning guide for a country or

region is that 1/15 of the recoverable oil remaining can be produced each

year; this is referred to as the 15 to 1 reserves to production ratio. This

planning guide is only a rough estimate and is, to some extent, a function of

well density. Production from U.S., Canadian and Australian fields, which

are in a mature state of development, exceed the 1/15 ratio. In the U.S. the

figure is about 1/10.

With the increased price of oil since the 1973 embargo, other procedures

have become economical for recovering additional oil from existing fields

where primary and secondary techniques have already been used. This is

especially true for the U.S., since many early U.S. fields were exploited

ineffectively causing a large portion of oil to be left in the ground. These

additional techniques, called enhanced recovery techniques, consist of

injecting heat or chemicals into the reservoir.

Except for heat injection, most of these techniques are

developmental stage.* The success of these techniques varies

currently in a

greatly from

*

See the OTA report Enhanced Oil Recovery Potential in the United States,

January 1978, for a more detailed review of these techniques.

-12 -
field to field. A range of approximately 2-10% has been given as the

additional percentage of oil in place that can be recovered in the U.S. using

enhanced recovery techniques. *

Since enhanced recovery techniques are

expensive and require energy for their utilization, the extent of the use of

these techniques will depend upon the future price of oil and the price of

the chemicals and steam required for their implementation.

The production of heavy oil requiring steam for its primary recovery is

not included in enhanced recovery estimates. However, heavy oil fields for

which some production is possible without steam injection are included in

enhanced recovery estimates. Thus most heavy oil fields in California are

included in enhanced recovery estimates.

About 95% of the production of liquid petroleum in the world and 85% in

the U.S. is of crude oil from primary, secondary, and enhanced recovery

techniques. The remaining 5%, 15% in the U.S., is natural gas liquids

resulting form natural gas production. The term liquid petroleum is used to

refer to the sum of crude oil and natural gas liquids production.

In some publications production and resource estimates are given for

crude oil while in other publications these estimates are given for liquid

petroleum. These differences lead to potential confusion in comparing

resource and production estimates from various sources. Unless otherwise

specified, estimates in this paper will be liquid petroleum estimates.

*

Ibid.

-13 -
2* World Oil Resources

A. Reserves

One method for determining “HOW much oil is there?’t is to respond with

an estimate of the amount of oil reserves that can be proved from the known

oil in place. Unfortunately, any estimate of oil reserves must be treated as

an approximation for two main reasons. First, the volume of oil in place,

even in a well-defined field, can never be precisely known. Second, even if

the volume is known, estimates of production would depend on assumptions

about the techniques that are used to recover the oil and the levels of

success of these techniques.

For the United States, the American Petroleum Institute has adopted a

conservative definition of proven (or proved) reserves. According to the

American Petroleum Institute, proven reserves are "the estimated quantities

of all liquids statistically defined as crude oil, which geological and

engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in

future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating

conditions".*

From this definition one infers that there are additions to proven

reserves when new discoveries are made, recovery techniques are improved or

when increases in the price of oil make additional fields economical to

develop. In general, estimates of proven reserves for the U.S. include oil

obtainable from primary and secondary recovery but not enhanced recovery.

* American Petroleum Institute, Reserves of Crude Oil, Natural Gas Liquids,

and Natural Gas in the U.S. and Canada, as of December 31, 1977, Vol. 32,

Washington, D.C., June, 1978, p. 140

- 14 -
It is important to recognize that while estimates of proven reserves are

the most reliable estimates available in world oil

officials consider the estimate for the U.S. to be

statistics, most industry

accurate only within 20%.

A study published by the National Academy of Sciences in 1976 underscored the

range of possible error in estimating the oil and natural gas reserves in an

individual field. Two consulting firms were asked to check the Federal Power

Commission estimates of gas reserves under lease in certain fields in the

Gulf of Mexico. This was done for a random sample of 19 out of 168 fields.

For 9 of the 18 fields checked the two consulting firms differed by a factor

of over 100%.*

Outside the U.S., the American Petroleum Institute definition for proven

reserves is not strictly followed in determining an estimate of reserves. In

addition to proven reserves, an allowance is sometimes made for probable

reserves. Probable reserves are those situated in a conjectural part of the

field or reservoir which is as yet incompletely evaluated, undrilled, and

where the characteristics of the producing zone and its fluid content are

assumed favorable for commercial production.

One of the

reserves is the

few private compilations of estimates of proven crude oil

Oil and Gas Journal.** The Oil and Gas Journal does not

make its own independent appraisal; their estimates are obtained from oil

x

National Academy of Sciences, Gas Reserves Estimation of Offshore

Producible Shut-in-Leases in the Gulf of Mexico, Washington, D.C., March,

1976.

**

Annually (in August) World Oil magazine releases its estimates for proven

reserves for the beginning of the year. This estimate is comparable

(typically 15% lower) with the Oil and Gas Journal. Lower estimates are

normally given for Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mexico, and the North Sea resulting

from a more consemative estimate of proven reserves.

- 15 -
companies, governments, and other petroleum organizations. Although these

estimates are listed as proven reserves, many estimates include reserves that

would not be classified as proven reserves according to the American

Petroleum Institute definition. In particular, the Mexican proved reserves

estimates, taken from the Mexican government oil company

include 11 billion barrels for the Chicontepec field

classified as proven reserves according to the American

Petroleos Mexicanos,

which would not be

Petroleum Institute

definition.

Non-communist proven crude

550 billion barrels in December

oil reserves were estimated at approximately

1979 as shown in Table 1.

Several features of this estimate deserve mention. First the world’s

reserves are concentrated in a small number of countries. The eleven

countries with reserves of over 10 billion barrels contain 482 billion

barrels or over 87% of the non-Communist world’s reserves. Saudi Arabia

alone contains over 30% of the non-Communist world’s reserves. These facts

are illustrated graphically in Table 2.

The dominance of the Middle East region (Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwaitz

Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and United Arab Emirates) and of

Arab OPEC (Algeria, Bahrain, Egyp t, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,

Syria, United Arab Emirates) is also apparent. The 362 billion barrels of

reserves in the Middle East represent over two thirds of the non-Communist

oil reserves while the 336 billion barrels in Arab OPEC represent

approximately 60%. On the other hand the industrialized countries, which are

the major consumers of oil, possess only 11%. A breakdown by geographical

region of the world’s oil reserves is illustrated graphically in Table 3.

- 16 -
TABLE 1

NON-COMMUNIST WORLD PROVED CRUDE OIL RESERVES

BILLION (109) Barrels

January 1, 19801

OECD GROUP COUNTRIES

United States

Canada

Western Europe

Japan, Australia, N.Z.

TOTAL

NON-OPEC DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Latin America

Mexico

Other

Africa

Middle East

Asia

TOTAL

OPEC

Saudi Arabia

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

UAE

Qatar

Neutral Zone

Nigeria

Libya

Algeria

Gabon

Venezuela

Ecuador

Indonesia

TOTAL

Total Non-Communist World

(totals do not add due to rounding)

1 oil and Gas Journal, December 31, 1979s PP* 70-71.

26.5

6.8

23.4

2.1

58.8

31.2

7.3

7.2

4.5

7.6

57.8

163.4

58.0

3100

65.4

29.4

3.8

6.3

17.4

23.5

8.4

.5

17*9

101

9.6

435.7

551.6
Table 2.—Non-Communist Countries With Reserves in Excess of 10 Billion Barrels

160 -

140 -

120 -

100 -

 80

60 -

40

20

0

1 6 3

65

Saudi Kuwait

Arabia

31 31

29

Iraq Mexico United

Arab

Emirates

United

States

24

Libya Venezuela Nigeria United

Kingdom

SOURCE: Oil and Gas Journal, Dec. 31, 1979, pp. 70-71

- 18 -
360

320

280

240

 200

160

120

80

40

0

Table 3.—Regional Distribution of Non-Communist Oil Reserves

362

Middle East

64

E

North

America

57

26 24

19

—

Africa South Europe Asia-Pacific

America

SOURCE 0il and Gas Journal, Dec. 31, 1979, pp. 70-71

- 19 -
The importance of proven (and probable) reserves is that they are the

major source of oil production in the short term (l-7 years ). Additional

discoveries and enhanced recovery techniques will add to the estimates in

Table 1 but these contributions will have negligible effects on short-term

production potential.

The size of these reserves can be illustrated by the following

statements:

a. The 552 billion barrels of reserves correspond to approximately 31

years of production at today’s non-Communist crude oil production

rate of approximately 48.2 million barrels per day. (17.6 billion

barrels per year).

b. The 26.5 billion barrels of U.S. reserves correspond to

approximately 8.5 years of production for the United States at the

current production rate of 8.5 million barrels per day (3.1

billion barrels per year).

c. The 163.4 billion barrels of reserves correspond to approximately

48 years of production for Saudi Arabia at the current crude oil

production rate of 9.5 million barrels per day (3.5 billion

barrels per year).

However, these production rates cannot be maintained for the entire period

without further reserve additions as explained above.

For the Communist areas the overwhelming majority of the proven oil

reserves lie in the Soviet Union and China. Estimates of the Soviet Union

and China must be treated as very rough approximations due to the limited

availability of data. Three estimates are given in Table 4, the much lower

estimate for the Soviet Union given by the Central Intelligence Agency is

based upon their estimate of proven reserves. The Oil and Gas .

estimate is the Soviet Union estimate for "explored reserves" which

an undetermined amount in addition to proven and probable reserves.

Journal

includes

- 20 -
USSR

China

Other

Total

TABLE 4

COMMUNIST AREA OIL RESERVES

LIQUID PETROLEUM CRUDE OIL

40 67 58

20 20 20

5 3 2

651 9 0

2 8 03

1

Central Intelligence Agency, International Energy Statistical Review, March

2, 1979, proved reserves estimate.

2

Oil and Gas Journal, December 31, 1979, pp. 70-71, “explored reserves.”

3 World Oil, August 15, 1979, estimate for end of 1978, proven reserves.

B. Total Potential Resources

A different way to answer the question “How much oil is there?” is to

estimate the quantity of oil which will ultimately be recovered. This

quantity called the ultimate recovery estimate includes:

1) oil that has already been produced (cumulative production)

2) proven reserves

3) oil from additions to known fields through extensions, full

development and enhanced recovery techniques

4 ) oil from new discoveries.

The last three items constitute remaining resources which will determine

future production rates.

It must be stressed, however, that the rate at which additional

quantities in (3), (4) are added to reserves may be the critical factor in

determining the production rates for the next several decades. Additions to

- 21 -
reserves in the non-Communist world have been declining from over 20 billion

barrels annually through the 1950’s to approximately 13 billion barrels in

the late 1970’s (1975-78). During the period 1975-1978 production exceeded

*

additions to reserves through new discoveries.

Several methods for estimating ultimate

the uncertainties are large, and methods can

approximations. A principal reason for

necessity for an assumption about the size

recovery exist. For any method,

only

the

and

This assumption requires a subjective estimate

be expected to yield rough

lack of precision is the

number of new discoveries.

of the quantity of oil in

unexplored (by drilling) or partially explored areas based upon a comparison

with those geologically similar areas which have been sufficiently explored

to determine their ultimate recovery. The limited success of recent drilling

in the Baltimore Canyon and the Gulf of Alaska illustrates the range of error

possible in this assumption. A second reason for the lack of precision in

the ultimate recovery estimate is the necessity of an assumption about the

price of oil which will influence both the extent to which enhanced recovery

techniques will be employed and also the size and location of new finds that

will be sought and developed if found.

The importance of large fields mentioned

determination of the remaining undiscovered resource

the expected number and size of new discoveries with

large fields. This approach is based upon the belief

earlier suggested a

by a consideration of

particular emphasis on

that large fields will

contain the majority of the remaining future discoveries. Even in the

Petroleum Intelligence Weekly (3/24/80) quoting an Exxon report. Estimates

of additions in each period are averaged additions. Revisions in estimates

of fields are attributed to the period of initial discovery.

- 22 -
extensively explored U. S., which contains a relatively large number of small

fields, large fields containing at least 100 million barrels of recoverable

oil account for 70% of the oil discovered.

This emphasis on large fields is sometimes criticized because of a belief

that small fields will play a larger role in the future than they have in the

past. The U.S., is cited, incorrectly, as an example to support this

argument. Some observers have speculated that the amount of oil produced

from small fields in the U.S. results from the fact that the U.S. oil

resources are closer to depletion than fields elsewhere in the world. It

is speculated that the importance of small fields will increase in other

countries as exploration and development continues.

However, drilling experience in the United States does not in fact

support the criticism of the emphasis on large fields. If the U.S. had been

forced to turn to small

would be expected that

be increasing. This is

fields (less

30.0% between

than 100

1961-1976

It appears instead

fields because of the depletion of larger areas, it

the significance of smaller fields in the U.S. would

not the case. The proportion of oil found in smaller

million barrels of known recovery) in the U.S. was

compared to 29.5% since 1859.*

that the relatively high production from small fields

in the U.S. results primarily from the unique geology of the Gulf Coast

Syncline which consists of several adjacent major and intermediate size

provinces with large numbers of small fields. Most of the larger provinces

in the world have been explored sufficiently to eliminate the possibility of

this type of reoccurrence elsewhere.

*

R. Nehring, Giant Oil Fields and World Oil Resources; Rand Corporation,

June, 1978, pp. 72-73.

- 23 -
—

(1) Nehring's Estimates of World Crude Oil Resources

In 1978, Nehring* conducted a comprehensive analysis of recoverable

resources including Communist areas with emphasis on large fields for new

discoveries. Ultimately recoverable crude oil resources were estimated in

the range of 1700-2300 billion barrels. This estimate includes 1000 billion

barrels of proven reserves and cumulative production that were known at the

end of 1975. Thus, the study estimates that approximately 700-1300 billion

barrels will be added to the world’s known oil from additional recovery and

new field discoveries. ** Tables 5, 6 detail and illustrate graphically a

breakdown by type and region.

Additional recovery, consisting of additions to known fields through

extensions, full development and enhanced recovery is expected to add an

estimated 420-730 billion barrels to the known oil total. The major

contribution to this total, about 250-400 billion barrels, will come from the

Middle East.

New discoveries, while expected to be less than additional recovery, are

still a large source and are estimated world-wide at 263-555 billion barrels.

The breakdown of the new discoveries by size and number, illustrating the

expected continuing importance of large fields, is given in Table 7. Outside

the Middle East, a large portion of the total of 263-555 billion barrels is

expected to come from offshore areas. Many of these promising areas lie in

the area of the Arctic Circle, which will be very expensive and slow to

*Ibid

** Recently, Nehring has updated this study based upon further work. His

estimate has been lowered to 1600-2000 billion barrels for the ultimately

recoverable liquid petroleum resource. This work was outlined at the UNITAR

Conference on Long-Term Energy Resources in Montreal, Canada, November 26 -

December 7, 1979.

- 24 -
i

1

3-

.

0

D

I

0

0

0

*

l

*

- 25 -

68- C4- C47 0 - 80 - 5
1,200

1,100

1,000

900

800

7 0 0

 600

 500

400

300

200

100,

0

Region

 1,140

1,060

780

Table 6.—Estimate of Regional Distribution of Oil Resource

 Projected barrel s

Ultimate recovery

Remaining resource (at end of 1975)

380

 280

Middle East North

America

225

170

Soviet Union/ Africa

Eastern Europe

155 140

105 9 0

70 70

Asia/ Western

Oceanic Europe

SOURCE, Nehring, Giant 0il Fields and World 0il Resources, RAND Corp , June 1978, p 88

- 26 -
TYPE

Super-giants

(7.5 to 10 billion

barrels each)

Giants

(.8 to 1 billion

barrels each)

Large Non-Giants

(150 to 200 million

barrels each)

Smaller

Total

SOURCE: R. Nehring,

Corporation, June 1978,

TABLE 7 *

EXPECTED FUTURE DISCOVERIES

NUMBER TOTAL RECOVERY

(in billion barrels)

4-1 o 30-100

125-175 100-175

400-800 60-160

x 73-120

263-555

Giant Oil Fields and World Oil Resources, Rand

pp. 54-84.

develop because of their severe climate. As mentioned earlier some of the

potentially promising major new areas involve regions of territorial dispute.

These regions include the Malvinas basin off the Falkland Islands, the South

China Sea, and Spitsbergen.

On the basis of the Nehring study, the overall dominance of the Middle

East can be expected to continue since 775-1055 billion barrels (or over 50%)

of the remaining resources are believed to occur there. The breakdown by

region given in Table 5 illustrates, in addition to the continued dominance

of the Middle East, that the worldwide distribution of ultimately recoverable

oil resources is not expected to differ significantly from the distribution

that exists today.

- 27 -
(2) Other Estimates of World Oil Resources

It iS difficult to compare the Nehring resource estimate with other

studies due to their limited documentation. Moreover, all studies do not

make explicit an estimate of what ultimate price of oil will influence the

areas explored and developed and the extent of enhanced recovery utilization.

The total of 1700-2300 billion barrels in the Nehring study iS in

general agreement with the average of most other recent estimates. Several

studies and their estimates are given in Table 8. Since many of these

estimates borrowed common information and each other’s work, these estimates

cannot be considered independent. In particular, the World Energy Conference

estimate was obtained by means of a Delphi poll among 29 government,

academic, and industry geologists.

Nehring differs

Middle East and the

billion barrels) for

substantially from other studies in his appraisal of the

Soviet Union. He presents a larger estimate (775-1055

the Middle East than most studies (630 in Moody-Esser).*

In addition, the

Soviet Union presents

studies. For example,

Nehring estimate of 125-225 billion barrels for the

a more pessimistic view than some of the other recent

the earlier work of Moody/Esser (1974)** had estimated

Communist resources, including the People’s Republic of China, at 500 billion

barrels. This basis for this analysis is not known; it may have simply been

based upon a volumetric analysis. The more pessimistic view of Nehring is

partially based upon the information learned since 1974 that most new

discoveries in potential petroleum areas of the Soviet Union are turning out

to be natural gas rather than oil.

* J.D. Moody, R.WO Esser, Mobil Oil Corporation, 1974.

** Ibid. - 28 -
AUTHOR

TABLE 8

ESTIMATE OF ULTIMATELY RECOVERABLE WORLD CRUDE OIL RESOURCES

H.R. Warmanl

J.D. Moody and

R.W. Esserl

M. King Hubbertl

B. Grossling2

Delphi Approach3

R. Nehring4

R. Nehring5

ORGANIZATION

British Petroleum Ltd.

Mobil Oil Corporation

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey

World Energy Conference

Rand Corporation

Rand Corporation

DATE QUANTITY IN BILLION

OF ESTIMATE BARRELS

1973 1915

1974 2000

1974 2000

1974 2600-6500

1977 2230

(average of 28 est.)

1978 1700-2300

1979 1600-2000

1

Source:

From M. King Hubbert, “World Oil and Natural Gas Resources’f in Project

Independence, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 1977, Committee Print

95-33, pp. 632-644.

2

B. Grossling, U.S.G.S. Survey Circular 724, 1974.

3 World Energy Conference, Oil and Gas Resources. IPC Science and

Technology Press, 1978, p. 30.

4 R. Nehring (June 1978) previously cited.

5

R. Nehring (December 1979) at the UNITAR Conference in Montreal.

- 29 -
—

Although most

billion barrels, a

estimates for ultimate recovery have centered around 2000

recent study by Grosling* has suggested that a much

higher figure is possible. That study claims that

petroleum areas, primarily those in underdeveloped

areas, have been insufficiently explored out causing

many of the prospective

countries and offshore

their total potential to

be underestimated significantly. This premise leads one to estimate the

ultimate recovery of these prospective petroleum areas by using the ultimate

recovery figure of certain areas, which have been so thoroughly developed

that their estimate of ultimate recovery can be estimated accurately

(referred to as benchmark areas).

The principal difficulty with this approach is that wide ranges of

estimates are possible depending upon the choice of benchmark areas. Using

certain areas in the Soviet Union as benchmark areas, Grossing** obtains an

estimate of approximately 6000 billion barrels as the total expected ultimate

recovery for the world, which is triple most recent estimates. While within

the realm of possibility, given the uncertainty in the benchmark figures for

the Soviet Union (recent CIA work suggests that their expected recovery may

be inflated), this estimate does not appear plausible. Indeed, the benchmark

figure used in that portion of Grossling’s study is 200,000 barrels per

square mile of prospective

and Canada, the comparable

petroleum area. For the entire conterminous U.S.

figure is approximately 45,000 to 60,000 barrels

* Grossling, “A critical Survey of World Petroleum Opportunities”, in Project

Interdependence, Library of Congress, 1977, Committee Print 95-33, pp.

645-658.

**Ibid.

- 30 -
per square mile of prospective area. * With the "benchmark" figure of 45,000

(60,000) barrels an estimate is obtained of 2125 (2500) barrels for the total

world ultimate recovery.** These numbers are in rough agreement

previous estimate of 1700-2300 billion barrels.

Additionally, the premise of using “benchmark” estimation

with t he

has been

challenged by some oil companies. *** These companies argue that

extrapolative analysis is not valid since most of the world’s sedimentary

basins have been assessed at least by geophysical methods and that

exploratory activity is justified only if the initial geophysical assessment

looks promising. Some areas, while sedimentary and nominally prospective, do

not contain all the requisite features that are expected for petroleum

deposits.

(3) The Deep Ocean and Anarctica

Estimates of the world’s ultimately recoverable oil typically do not

include any amount for the deep ocean or Anarctica. There is considerable

speculation over the oil potential of both of these areas, but the technology

for developing these areas and the necessary economic incentives do not exist

now even if oil is found in large quantities.

* The conterminous U.S. and Canada have a total prospective petroleum area of

4,421,000 square miles. Using an estimate of 195-245 billion barrels adapted

from Nehring as the expected ultimate recovery (15 billion barrels from

Alaska have been subtracted), one obtains the above estimates.

** The total prospective petroleum area outside the Middle East is

approximately 25,000 square miles (See Grossing). Using the “benchmark”

figure of 45,000 (60,000) barrels per sqpare mile, one obtains an estimate of

1125 (1500) billion barrels as the total recovery outside the Midel East.

Adding 1,000 billion barrels as the recovery for the Middle East, one obtains

the above numbers.

*** Exxon, Exploration in Developing Countries, May, 1978.

- 31 -
Currently, American oil companies are beginning to drill in one thousand

feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico, which would be the deepest water in

which petroleum has ever been produced. This drilling is somewhat deeper

than the North Sea finds, which are in less than six hundred feet of water.

However, the Gulf of Mexico drilling is considerably less than the depth of

the Atlantic region in which the United States Geological Survey announced on

August 31, 1979, as a potential resource on the basis of seismic work alone.

That region occurs at depths of 12,000 feet of which the first six thousand

feet are water.

- 32 -
3. Future Non-Communist World Oil Supply

Introduction

Estimating the geological resource, as was done in Section 2, is not

sufficient to determine non-Communist world oil supply (the rate in million

barrels per day (MBD) of oil available to the non-Communist world).

Non-Communist oil supply will not actually reach the limits set by geological

considerations. Future supply depends on production which in turn depends

upon political, technical, and economic factors as well as geology.

The relative importance of these factors varies in time and between

countries.

determining

reserves do

Kuwaiti government to limit production, based on political and economic

considerations, is the limiting factor.

For example, the geologic resource is

production levels in the United States.

not limit production in Kuwait. Instead

the primary factor

On the other hand,

a decision by the

These factors introduce a large uncertainty associated with any answer

to the second question in

conventional sources be

discussed in this section,

world oil supply will be between 47-60 MBD in 1985 and 40-62 MBD in the year

2000 (compared with 52 MBD in 1979).

the introduction “At what rate will oil from

available?" Nevertheless, based on analysis

OTA projects high confidence that non-Communist

For the years 1985 and 2000 the highest and lowest estimates are less

probable since those estimates depend upon a unique combination of

circumstances. Moreover, these projections assume that there are no major

disruptions (such as the revolution in Iran) which could lead to temporary or

permanent disruptions in the production of major suppliers.

- 33 -

68-047 0 - 80 _ 6
It should be noticed that even the high estimates of world production

given here are below most estimates of future world production made before

December 1978. Prior to the revolution in Iran, many projections simply

assumed that oil exporters would produce at (or close to) their maximum

production rates in order to meet the anticipated world demands.

The events in Iran have made it clear that an overly rapid increase in

national income could be socially disruptive and that maximum production may

not be consistent with optimum economic development programs. Moreover, many

exporters have reduced production in anticipation of further price increases.

These exporters perceive oil left in the ground as the best investment for

the future.

Approach

The analysis here of future oil supply is divided into sections

considering the following regions:

(A) the production rate of the developed countries.

(B) the production rate of OPEC.

(C) the production rate of the non-OPEC LDC’s.

(D) effect of the Communist countries on non-Communist world oil

supply.

For each of these regions the consequences of the known or estimated

geologic, technical, economic, and political factors are used in making

projections. Details are given below for each of the major suppliers.

OTA has utilized various sources in determining the estimates of

production

periodicals

utilized in this report. Published information in various

(Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, World Oil, Oil and Gas Journal, — ——— —

- 34 -
and Middle East Economic Survey, and others) as well as reports by DOE, CIA,

United States Geological Survey, and other organizations (Rand Corporation,

etc. ) have been used. In addition, OTA has contacted experts in oil

companies, government organizations, and other petroleum related

organizations.

No primary geological assessments have been attempted in the course of

preparing this report.

A. Developed Countries

Production in the developed countries will decline, with a significant

reduction in production possible by the year 2000. Geology is the primary

limiting factor.

Production in the developed countries, averaging 14.9 MBD* in 1979, may

range between 13-15.5 MBD in 1985 and 7.5-13 MBD in the year 2000 (see Table

9). Although production in the North Sea by the United Kingdom and Norway

will increase for the next few years, this increase will be offset by

declining production in the United States.

The basis for the OTA estimates of production rates for the developed

countries is described in detail below.

TABLE 9

FUTURE PETROLEUM PRODUCTION RATES IN THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (MBD)

1979 — 1985 2000

United States 1002 7.2-8.6 4-7

North Sea 201 2.8-4 1.7-3

Canada 1.8 106-108

Other Developed Countries .8 .8*

TOTAL 1409 13-15.5 7.5-13

(may not add due to rounding)

*

range of production considered insignificant for estimates of total

petroleum availability.

SOURCE: OTA estimates

*

MBD = million of (42

based upon assumptions stated in text.

gallon) barrels per day.

- 35 -
U.S. Production

Based upon the reasoning discussed in this section, OTA estimates that

liquid petroleum production will decline from the 1979 average production

rate of 10.2 MBD to a level of approximately 7.2-8.5 MBD in 1985. In the

year 2000, U.S. production could be as low as 4 MBD although under optimistic

assumptions U.S.production could be 7 MBD (see Table 10).

TABLE 10

FUTURE U.S. PETROLEUM LIQUIDS PRODUCTION (MBD)

Year

Primary and secondary

recovery from existing

1979 reserves

Primary and secondary

recovery from addition

to reserves

Natural gas liquids

Production from

enhanced recovery

techniques

TOTALS

(may not add due to

rounding)

1979 1985

8.1 4.7

0.8-1. 5

107 1.2-1. 5

0 . 4 0.5-0. 9

10.2 7.2-8. 6

1990

2 . 7

0.8-2. 1

1.1-1. 4

0.7-10 4

5.3-7. 6

1995

1*4

0.7-2. 4

1*1-1.3

101-2

4*3-7*1

2000

008

0.7-2. 5

1.0-1.25

1.5-2. 5

4.0-7. 0

SOURCE: OTA estimates based upon assumptions stated in text.

Future U.S. production will arise from the following four sources: (1)

primary and secondary recovery from existing (as of January 1979) proved

reserves of 26.5 billion barrels,

additions to existing reserves, (3)

of enhanced recovery techniques.

(2) primary and secondary recovery from

natural gas liquids and (4) applications

Production from each of these sources is

- 36 -
discussed below in detail.

(1) Primary and

from approximately 8.1

2000. (This estimate

secondary recovery from existing reserves may decrease

MBD in 1979 to 4.7 MBD in 1985 and .8 MBD in the year

assumes that U.S. fields can produce at a

annual production is 1/8 of known reserves subject to a near

production constraint of 1.6 MBD from existing Alaskan reserves.)

rate where

term upper

(2) The second source of future production is primary and secondary

recovery from additions to reserves. Additions to reserves totalled

approximately 1.3 billion barrels in each of the years 1977 and 1978.* This

quantity includes additions due to the use of enhanced recovery techniques on

existing fields (which will be considered separately as the fourth source).

Hence, additions to reserves for which primary and secondary recovery will be

utilized averaged less than 1.3 billion barrels.

Moreover, additions to reserves for primary and

be expected to decline. A portion of the 1.3 billion

extensions of old reservoirs. As U.S. fields reach

secondary recovery can

barrel total is due to

a more mature state of

development, these extensions can be expected to decrease. New discoveries,

on the other hand, have averaged only .3 billion barrels annually in 1977 and

1978.**

For these reasons, OTA estimates a range for the level of additions for

primary and secondary recovery. The high level is 1 billion barrels annually

through the year 2000 while the low level is 1 billion barrels in the year

1980 declining linearly to 0.5 billion barrels in the year 2000.

*

American Petroleum Institute, Reserves of Crude Oil, Natural Gase Liquids,

and Natural Gas in the United States and Canada, volume 32, p. 10 and volume

33, p. 10.

** Ibid

- 37 -
If additions occurred at the high level, production from this source

would result in production of 1.5 MBD in the year 1985 and 2.5 MBD in the

year

then

2 000. * On the other hand, if additions occurred at the lower level,

production of O. 8 MBD in 1985 and 0.7 MBD in the year 2000 would result.

Summarizing, OTA estimates a range of production levels of .8-1.5 MBD in

the year 1985 and .7-2.5 MBD in the year 2000.

(3) The third source is natural gas liquids production which was 1.7

MBD in 1979. Future production levels are dependent upon conventional

natural gas production for which declining production has been projected.**

Production levels of 1.2-1.5 MBD in 1985 and 1-1.25 MBD in the year 2000 are

estimated based on these declines.

(4) Enhanced recovery, the fourth source, contributed approximately .4

MBD to 1979 production. Over two-thirds of this contribution arose from

steam recovery of heavy oil in California while a recovery process involving

the use of carbon dioxide (C02) was responsible for the majority of the

remaining enhanced recovery production.***

Enhanced recovery production is anticipated to increase through this

century, but the production rate is subject to much uncertainty. Because of

this uncertainty, OTA projected in its January 1978 report **** a wide range

of production possibilities for enhanced recovery. This report included a

scenario where enhanced recovery could contribute as much as 5 MBD in the

*Assuming annual production of 1/8 of known reserves.

**Exxon, World Energy Outlook, December 1979.

***

Oil and Gas Journal, March 31, 1980, p. 79.

****OTA, Enhanced Oil Recovery Potential in the United States, January 1978.

- 38 -
year 2000. As stated in that report, however, the estimate was heavily

dependent upon the following conditions:

(1) satisfactory development of the C02 and surfactant/polymer processes

which were then in an early development stage.

(2) a low inflation rate making a rate of return of 10% on capital

satisfactory.

(3) availability at a certain price of large amounts of C02 required for

enhanced recovery using the C02 Process.

None of these conditions have occurred as expected. First, the

surfactant/polymer process, which was expected to account for 20% of year

2000 production, has not performed as well as expected.* Second, high

inflation rates have made a 10% return on capital less satisfactory. Third,

the price of C02, which has a significant effect on the extent of the use of

C02-enhanced recovery, has risen much faster than anticipated in the

scenario. Consequently, the production of levels approaching 5 MBD from

enhanced recovery seems much less likely now than in January 1978 in spite of

oil price increases.

Production levels of .5-.9 MBD in 1985 and 1.5-2.5 MBD in the year 2000

are now estimated for enhanced recovery production. ** Steam recovery of

heavy oil may account for .4-.6 MBD in 1985 and .4-.7 MBD in the year 2000.

Production from the C02 Process is anticipated ‘

0 account for much of the

remaining enhanced recovery production.

* Oil and Gas Journal, March 31, 1980, p. 94.

**Estimates are based on results in the OTA report cited above.

- 39 -
U.S. Production Summary

Adding the totals from the four sources, one obtains the OTA range of

production of 7.2-8.5 MBD in 1985, 5.3-7.6 MBD in 1990, and 4-7 MBD in the

year 2000 (See Table 10). In its recent forecast Exxon* forecasts U.S.

production at 6.1 MBD in 1990 and 6.3 MBD in the year 2000 which fall within

the range given here.

North Sea (United Kingdom and Norway)

than

next

Liquid petroleum production in the North Sea has risen sharply from less

0.1 MBD in 1973 to over 2 MBD in 1979. Increases will continue over the

few years as existing fields are developed. Peak production will occur

in the mid-1980’s with declines probably before the year 2000 due to

diminishing reserves.

OTA estimates that production in 1985 will range between 2.8-4 MBD based

upon industry and government plans. The basis for this estimate is discussed

below.

Recently, the UK government

in the UK waters of the North Sea

government estimates production

1.9-2.8 MBD in 1984.** The high

has released its estimate of oil production

for the five year period 1980-1984. The UK

to increase from 1.6-1.7 MBD in 1980 to

estimate of 2.8 MBD has been suggested as

peak production from fields currently under development. OTA estimates

production levels of 1.9-2.8 MBD in the year 1985 based upon the 1984

estimate.

* Exxon, World Energy Outlook, December 1979.

** oil and Gas Journal, July 7. 1980 P. 61.

- 40 -
Current development plans of the Statjord oil fields call for increasing

total Norwegian production from .4 MBD in 1979 to .9 MBD in 1984 and 1.2 MBD

in 1985.* Since some slippage in development is possible, OTA estimates

production levels of .9-1.2 MBD in 1985.

Adding the OTA estimates for UK and Norwegian production, one obtains a

range of production of 2.8-4 MBD for the year 1985.

The current reserves** of 15.8 billion barrels in the UK sector and 5.8

in the Norwegian sector are insufficient to maintain peak production long.

Without any reserve additions, North Sea production would be as low as 1 MBD

in the year 2000.

However, reserve additions are likely and 10 billion barrels has been

suggested as a reasonable estimate of additions to the existing 21 billion

barrels of reserves by the year 2000.*** OTA estimates that the additions

would permit North Sea production of 1.7-3 MBD in the year 2000 depending

upon the peak level of production achieved in the mid-1980’s. If peak

production was 4 MBD, OTA estimates that production would be 1.7 MBD. If

peak production was held to 3 MBD for conservationist reasons, OTA estimates

that these additions would enable production to be maintained at 3 MBD up to

the year 2000.****

*Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, April 7, 1980.

**Oil and Gas Journal, December 31, 1979, pp. 70-71. Estimate for end of

1979.

***

Based on R. Nehring, Giant Oil Fields and World Oil Resources, and private

communication.

****

Estimates are based on the following calculations. Ten billion barrels

are added to existing reserves during the period 1980-2000. These reserves

are added at a rate declining linearly in time with 1 billion barrels added

in 1980 and no additions in the year 2000. Annual joint UK and Norwegian

production is assumed 1/8 of existing reserves subject to a post-1985 upper

production constraint. This constraint is either 3 or 4 MBD depending upon

the 1985 production level.

- 41 -
OTA estimates include no

offshore prospective petroleum

allowance for

areas north of

delayed

well as

exploration and development of these

economic considerations.

Exxon* forecasts 4 MBD as the production

production from the Norwegian

the 620 parallel. Norway has

areas due to environmental as

rate in the year 2000 from the

North Sea which is higher than the range of OTA estimates (1.7-3 MBD). This

Exxon estimate would require 1.7 times the level of additions to reserve

**

assumed by OTA for its estimate.

Canada

OTA estimates that conventional liquid petroleum production is unlikely

to increase with declines occurring before the mid-1990’s. OTA estimates

production levels of 1.6-1.8 MBD in the year 1985 and 1-2 MBD in the year

2000.

There have been no large oil discoveries in established areas since the

mid-1960’s. As a result of its deteriorating reserves situation, the

Canadian government began to limit production in 1973, reducing production

from 2.1 MBD. During 1976-78 Canadian production averaged 1.6 MBD, while in

1979 production was raised to 1.8 MBD following the Iranian revolution. OTA

estimates that levels of production of 1.6-1.8 MBD are probable for 1985.

*

Exxon, World Energy Outlook, December 1979.

**Based on OTA calculation. Calculation assumes production increases to 4

MBD in 1985 with level production of 4 MBD through the year 2000. Production

during 1980-2000 would use approximately 27 billion barrels. Production of 4

MBD in the year 2000 would require reserves in 2000 of 11 billion barrels

based upon a reserves to production ratio of 8 to 1. The 38 (27 + 11)

billion barrels of required reserves in the year 2000 plus production in the

period 1980-2000 would require 17 billion barrels of additions to current

reserves of 21 billion barrels.

***

See footnote below for calculation.

- 42 -
Declines thereafter are likely. Based upon an addition to reserves of 3

billion barrels by 1995, OTA estimates that conventional production would be

as low as 1-1.3 MBD in 1995.*

Beginning in the mid-1990’s, potential production from some promising

Arctic areas, such as the Beaufort sea, may be able to stem the decline in

conventional production. Increases are also possible if large discoveries

are made and developed. Hence, production levels of 1-2 MBD are projected

for the year 2000.**

OTA estimates do not include any amount for unconventional production

from tar sands and heavy oil. Production from these sources may be able to

offset the projected declines in conventional oil production. Exxon*** has

projected total Canadian production in the year 2000 at 2 MBD including 1 MBD

from unconventional sources.

*

The basis for the estimate is as follows. Canadian National Energy Board

(Canadian Oil: supply and Requirements, Sept. 1978) estimated potential

resezve addition of 4.9 billion barrels including 2.8 billion barrels through

enhanced recovery. Given the slow rates of development of enhanced recovery,

OTA estimates that 3 billion barrels of the remaining 4.9 billion barrels

would be added by 1995. These additions are assumed added at a uniform rate

of .2 billion barrels annually. Annual production js assumed 1/8 of existing

resemes subject to conventional petroleum production constraints of 1.4-1.7

MBD (crude production constraints of 1.1-1.4 MBD).

**Low estimate assumes additions added .2 billion barrels annually during

1995-2000, equal to the assumed 1980-1995 rate. High estimate includes a 1

MBD allowance which requires a new large discovery (approximately 10 billion

barrels, the size of Prudhoe Bay fields). Production from the Prudhoe Bay

fields in 1980 was approximately 1.5 MBD. Production commenced in 1977 seven

years after the fields were added to reserves. Production from any Canadian

Artic areas will require as long, if not longer, lead times between discovery

~}~ production” Exxon, World Energy Outlook, December 1979.

- 43 -
Other developed countries

Production in the other developed countries (principally Australia with

contribution by some countries in Western Europe) is currently small (.8

MBD). Production prospects are not particularly bright due to limited

geologic resources.

OTA estimates that production will be approximately .8 MBD through the

year 2000 with some declines probable after 1985.*

OPEC Production

Future OPEC production is not likely to differ significantly from the

1979 average production rate of 31.4 MBD. Since the year of the Arab embargo

1973, total OPEC production has remained relatively constant, differing by

less than 1 MBD of the 1979 average.

It is possible that OPEC production both in the year 1985 and the year

2000 will be less than the 1979 rate. OTA’s subjective review of OPEC

production possibilities indicates that a reasonable range of estimates would

be 28.5-35 MBD in the year 1985 and 27-37 MBD in the year 2000. (In its

latest world outlook, Exxon** estimates OPEC liquid petroleum production at

33 MBD both in 1990 and 2000.) Our analysis of the future production

* Range of decline considered insignificant for estimating total world

petroleum availability. However, percentage declines in some countries may

be inportant for those countries

** Exxon, World Energy Outlook, December 1979.

- 44 -
possibilities given in Table 11 iS described below for each individual

country.

TABLE 11

FUTURE OPEC LIQUID PETROLEUM PRODUCTION (MBD)

Year

1979 1985 2000

Saudi Arabia* 9.803 9.1-1101 9. 1-12.6

Iraq 3.445 2.7-4.5 3-5

Iran 3.045 3-4 3-4

United Arab Emirates 1.865 1.9-2.5 1• 9-3

Kuwait* 2.622 1.9-2.4 1.9-2.4

Other OPEC Countries 10.575 9.5-1005 8-10

Algeria 1.165

Ecuador .215

Gabon .205

Indonesia 1.630

Libya 2.105

Nigeria 2.305

Qatar .515

Venezuela 2.435

TOTAL 31.4 28.5-35 27-37.0

(may not add ue to rounding)

* Including share of Neutral Zone

SOURCE: OTA estimates based upon assumptions stated in text.

The dominance of the Arab OPEC countries and the Persian Gulf region is

expected to continue. Except for Iran, only the Arab OPEC countries of Saudi

Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kuwait have sufficient reserves and

Iraq the estimated potential to sustain more than marginal increases in

production (see Table 11, 12). However, existing government restrictions on

production levels in the countries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Iran, if

continued, would limit OPEC production to no more than 32 MBD (5 MBD less

than the highest OTA estimate of year 2000 production).

- 45 -
——

G

0

WI

u

z

G

o

-1

d

o

o

u

-x

0

u

*

- 46 -
There appears to be a growing tendency among other OPEC exporters to

limit production for conservation reasons and in expectation of higher

prices. Libya, for example, has recently announced its intention to cut

liquid petroleum production from 2.1 to 1.7 MBD. * Clearly, the higher

production numbers given here will also not occur if this tendency is

sustained.

Detailed Country Descriptions

Saudi Arabia. In the early 1970’s Saudi Arabia had been projected in many

forecasts to substantially increase productive capacity levels to 16-20

MBD.** However, in 1977 the Saudi’s announced officially a lower target of

12 MBD for maximum sustained productive capacity and imposed financial

constraints that deferred attainment of this target level until 1987 at the

earliest. Production of 12 MBD level could be sustained through 2005 with

***

existing reserves.

*

Based on Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, 14ay 19, 1980.

** For example, the CIA projected net capacity in 1985 of at most 18 MBD in

their April 1977 report, The International Energy Situation: Outlook to 1985.

***The Future of Saudi Arabian Oil Production, U.S. Senate Committee on

Foreign Relations, April 1979.

-47 -
It has been reported recently that construction has begun on the planned

capacity expansion. * However, production of 12 MBD is not guaranteed even if

construction does take place. The Saudi’s have frequently expressed their

desire to stretch their petroleum producing horizon. As stated by Crown

Price Fahd on April 19, 1978,

“Saudi Arabia has worked and is working sincerely and earnestly to

provide an appropriate level of oil and gas production as an expression

of its feeling of shared responsibility in the internatonal community,

but our feelings of responsibility toward future generations in Saudi

Arabia also claim careful consideration and the establishment of a

calculated balance between the present and the future.

Moreover, Yamani, the Saudi oil minister, has announced that Saudi

intentions are not to exceed production of 9.5 MBD even under higher levels

* * *

of capacity.

On the basis of these facts, Saudi Arabian crude oil production for 1985

is projected to lie between the official ceiling in early 1978 of 8.5 MBD

(the Saudi’s have raised at least temporarily the ceiling to 9.5 MBD

following the Iranian disruption) and 10.5 MBD (approximately the current

maximum sustainable production rate).**** For the year 2000 crude oil

production is projected to range between 8.5 MBD and 12.0 MBD.

Adding to each of these estimates .3 MBD from the Saudi’s share of the

Neutral Zone and .3 MBD of natural gas liquids, OTA obtains ranges of

9. 1-11.1 MBD in the year 1985 and 9. 1-12.6 MBD in the year 2000 for liquid

petroleum production. However, it should be emphasized that current Saudi

statements indicate that future liquid petroleum production will not exceed

10.1 MBD.

*Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, June 2, 1980.

**The Future of Saudi Arabian Oil Production, U.S. Senate Committee on

Foreign Relations, April 1979.

***Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, June 2, 1980.

*** *

Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, May 19, 1980.

- 48 -
Production possibilities for Iraq are subject to much speculation. This

speculation is due to both geological and political considerations.

Geologically, there is an enormous number of undrilled structures.

These undrilled structures suggest that increases are possible above the 1979

average production rate of 3.4 MBD. Current existing reserves are sufficient

to maintain through the year 2000 the 1979 rate of production (assuming that

a reserves to production ratio of 8 to 1 is feasible).

Politically,

future production

Iraqi oil minister

the Iraqis have expressed contradictory views regarding

levels. On the one hand, the CIA* has reported that the

has expressed a preference to produce at 60% of capacity.

This statement suggests that production declines might occur since current

**

capacity is estimated at 3.8 MBD.

On the other hand, the Iraqi government is attempting to assert its

influence in the developing world. For example, it has been reported that

the Iraqi government has awarded 15 long term low interest loans in

compensation for oil price increases.*** It is thought that the Iraqi

government will maintain and possibly increase production to use both the

produced petroleum and generated revenues to maintain influence in the

developing world.

*

CIA, The World Oil Market in the Years Ahead, August 1979.

**petroleum Intelligence Weekly, May 19, 1980.

***

Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, April 28, 1980.

- 49 -
Consequent y, there is considerable uncertainty regarding future Iraqi

prod uc t ion. In 1977, the CIA* suggested productive capacity levels of 5-6

MBD were possible for the year 1985. These levels now appear too optimistic

based upon current development plans. Current development plans indicate an

increase in sustained production to approximately 4.5 MBD with some further

increase possible after 1985.

Based on the above information, OTA estimates that production will range

between 2.7-4.5 MBD in the year 1985 and 3-5 MBD in the year 2000.

*

CIA, International Energy Situation: Outlook to 1985. April 1977.

- 50 -
Iran

The current turmoil in Iran has made projecting future production levels

—

difficult . Current

the production rate

*

as low as 1.1 MBD.

revolution) average

estimates of production fluctuate weekly.

was reported at 2.7 MBD while in May 1980

Both of these weekly estimates are below

production rate of 3 MBD.

Iran has announced a production ceiling of 3 MBD. **

In April 1980,

e

it was reported

the 1979 (post

According to

several sources sustained levels above 4 MBD are unlikely without significant

external assistance. *** Gas injection, now required in older fields, will be

required in all fields by the late 1980’s.

Based on this information, OTA estimates production levels of 3-4 MBD

through the year 2000 assuming Iran regains political stability.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Abu Dhabi, the principal UAE

capacity from 2 to approximately 3

However, higher production goals

producer, has plans to increase output

****

MBD before the end of the 1980’s.

have not been announced. In fact,

government restrictions now limit production in Abu Dhabi to 1.4 MBD (or only

70% of current sustainable capacity). Production in the other two emirates,

Duban and Sharjah, totals approximately .4 MBD,

production are likely.

*Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, May 19, 1980.

**Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, March 10, 1980.

***

CLA, World Market in the Years Ahead, August 1979,

Weekly, October 29, 1979.

****

Oil and Gas Journal, July 19, 1979, pp. 74-113.

and no increases in

Petroleum Intelligence

- 51 -
OTA estimates that UAE production levels will range between current

production levels (1.9 MBD) and those that would be possible if government

restriction were lifted. OTA estimates production levels of 1.9-2.5 MBD in

●

the year 1985 and 1.9-3 MBD in the year 2000.

Kuwait

Consistent

Production was

Kuwait production policy is aimed at conserving resources.

approximately 2 MBD in the years 1974-1978 in spite of

installed production capacity that would have permitted increased production.

Kuwait temporarily increased crude oil production

aftermath of the Iranian revolution to 2.2 MBD. However,

announced plans to reduce crude oil production to 1.5

estimates that crude oil production in this century will

MBD.

in 1979 during the

Kuwait has recently

MBD.* Hence, OTA

range between 1.5-2

Adding Kuwait’s share of production in the Neutral Zone (.3 MBD) and

natural gas liquids (.1 MBD), one obtains a range of 1.9-2.4 MBD for the OTA

estimate of liquid petroleum production.

Other OPEC Countries (Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Libya, Qatar,

Venezuela)

The remaining OPEC countries are currently producing at close to their

** maximum possible production rates. Only marginal increases by individual

countries in production are thought possible. Declines from their current

production rates are probable in Indonesia, Ecuador, and Gabon by 1985 due to

insufficient reserves (see Table 12). Other countries may reduce production

*Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, May 19, 1980

**Ibid.

- 52 -
—

rates for conservationist reasons. Nigeria has recently announced plans to

reduce production 10% from its 1979 average and Libya has announced plans to

cut production from 2.1 to 1.7 MBD. * OTA estimates that 1985 liquid

petroleum production in these other OPEC countries is anticipated to range

between 9.5-10.5 MBD (compared to the 1979 average of 10.5 MBD).

Except for Libya, current reserves are not adequate in the remaining

OPEC countries to support existing production levels through the year 2000.

Additional declines are likely in

the remaining countries depending

OTA’s estimate of production

estimate is based upon current

Indonesia and declines may occur in some of

upon the rate of reserve additions.

levels for the year 2000 is 8-10 MBD. This

capacity levels and possible declines in

production due to diminishing reserves in some countries and other potential

cutbacks for conservationist reasons.

In this

increasing its

to change the

group of countries only Venezuela has the potential of

production from unconventional reserves, but this is unlikely

picture materially until well after the year 2000. Venezuela

has enormous reserves of very heavy hydrocarbons in the Orinoco

the cost of producing and processing these materials is

Venezuelan plans call for production to reach 100,000 barrels per

region, but

very high.

day by 1990

growing gradually to as much as 300,000 barrels per day by the year 2000.**

In general, Venezuelan policymakers view these resources as a form of

alternative energy, likely to become competitive as petroleum substitutes,

such as syncrudes, gradually enter the market in the next century,

* Ibid.

**

Outlook on Venezuela: Petroleum Policy, prepared for the Joint Economic

Committee, Congress of the United States by the Congressional Research

Semice. (Wash., D.CO: USGPO, June, 1979).

- 53 -
OPEC Summary

Based on the above analysis, OTA obtains a range of 28.5-35 MBD in the

year 1985 and a range of 27-37 MBD in the year 2000 for OPEC production

possibilities (a detailed breakdown was given in Table 11). This assumes

political stability in OPEC.

Neither the high nor low estimates for each year are likely to occur,

since they depend upon an unlikely combination of circumstances described

above. In particular, the high estimate would require the removal of

production restrictions currently existing in the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,

and Iran. In addition, stability in Iran and continued exploration,

development and production of Iraqi oil fields would be necessary.

Recently, Exxon has forecasted

1990 and 2000. These estimates fall

OPEC production at 33 MBD in the years

within the OTA range of projections.

Production in the non-OPEC Less Developed Countries (LDC’s) may rise

significantly above the 1979 liquid petroleum production level of

approximately 5.1 MBD. OTA estimates production ranges of 7.5-9 MBD in 1985

and 7.5-11.5 MBD in the year 2000 based upon the assumptions stated here.

Mexican production, which could be as

account for

Mexico

Future

Mexican oil

concerning

over half of non-OPEC LDC

Mexican oil production

resource and political

the rate of utilization

high as 5.5 MBD in the year 2000, may

production.

will be governed by the size of the

decisions by the Mexican government

of the oil resource. The potential

54 -
Mexican oil resource is discussed first.

Mexican proven reserves, at the end of 1979, were 31 billion barrels

according to PEMEX, the Mexican oil company. *

This estimate of reserves

included 11 billion barrels in Chicontepec. Classification of the

Chicontepec region as proved reserves is considered doubtful by some experts

due to its producing characteristics. A Mexican drilling program to develop

the Chicontepec area has been Indefinitely postponed pending exploration of

other areas. This ambitious drilling

wells in order to reach a production in

program would have required 16,000

Chicontepec of 0.7 MBD. **

However, sizable additions to reserves are considered likely. The Rand

Corporation* estimates that there is a 90% probability that ultimate Mexican

production will exceed 70 billion barrels, a 50% probability production will

exceed 90 billion barrels, and a 10% probability production will exceed 120

billion barrels. These estimates include the 7 billion barrels of oil

already produced from Mexican oil fields in addition to current reserves.

*Oil and Gas Journal, December 31, 1979, pp. 70-71.

**Oil and Gas Journal, August 20, 1979, pp. 73-85.

* * *

R. Nehring, D. Ronfeldt, A. Gandara, Mexico’s Petroleum and U.S.

Policy:Implications for the 1980’s, Rand Corp. report R2510/1-DOE to DOE,

Executive Summary, June 1980.

- 55 -
This report concludes that the Mexican potential is concentrated in a

small number of highly productive areas. Approximately half of the potential

is expected to lie in the offshore Campeche area of southeastern Mexico. The

next most important area is the Reforma area, which was the site of the major

discoveries touching off Mexico’s recent oil boom. The Reforma-Campeche

area, constituting one petroleum province, is likely to be the second most

important province in the world, trailing only the Arabian-Iranian province

(the Middle East). However, it is estimated that the Reforma-Campeche area

will possess less than 1/10 the ultimate recovery of the Middle East.

The Rand Corporation’s high estimate of 120 billion barrels is near the

PEMEX estimate for ultimate recovery. PEMEX estimates total hydrocarbon

potential, including natural gas, at 200 billion barrels. * Assuming that the

current proportion of natural gas in hydrocarbon reserves is maintained

(approximately 1/3), the PEMEX estimate for liquid petroleum ultimate

recovery is 134 billion barrels.

The Rand Corporation report suggested several production profiles for

Mexico. One production profile is based upon peak annual production equal to

approximately 1/60 of the total resource. This assumption leads to a

production range for the year 2000 of 3.5 MBD-5.5 MBD corresponding to the

70-120 billion barrel range of the ultimate resource.** OTA estimates

production levels of 3.0-4.0 MBD for the year 1985 based upon the peak rates

of 3.5-5.5 MBD.

*

Petroleum Intelligence Weekly , March 24, 1980.

**Other production profiles are given in the Rand report to illustrate the

effects of certain production strategies. A peak rate of 2.5 MBD is given if

the Mexican oil resource is limited to 70 billion barrels and Mexico follows

a self-sufficiency policy. A peak production of 7.5 MBD is given if the

Mexican resource achieves the high estimate of 120 billion barrels and Mexico

decides to pursue rapid development in order to be a major exporter.

- 56 -
These production levels can be analyzed in terms of current Mexican oil

policy. Current policy has targeted production so that exports do not exceed

internal consumption. The official 1980 production estimate was set at 2.25

MBD with exports targeted at 1.1* or slightly less than half of total

production.

Mexican internal consumption is approximately

rate of 7%-8% per year. At this rate consumption

MBD in the year 2000. This rate may be reduced,

reaches 3 MBD in the year 2000, then production

1 MBD and growing at the

would be approximately 4

however. If consumption

in the 3.5-5.5 MBD range

suggested by the Rand report would permit exports of 0.5-2.5 MBD. Under

these assumptions about internal consumption, these levels or production in

the year 2000 would allow the Mexican policy of internal consumption

exceeding exports to be in effect to 2000.

.

Based on the Rand Corporation analysis, OTA estimates Mexican production

as 3-4 MBD in the year 1985 and 3.5-5.5 MBD in the year 2000.

Other Non-OPEC Production

Crude oil production in the non-OPEC countries, excluding Mexico,

totaled approximately 3.5 MBD in 1979. Table 13 lists these countries and

their production rates. OTA estimates that production in 1985 in the

non-OPEC LDC’s, excluding Mexico, will total 4.5-5 MBD.

* Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, March 24, 1980, Rand Corporation report on

Mexico.

-57 -
AFRICA

Angola

Cameroon

Congo Republic

Egypt

Tunisia

Zaire

TOTAL

WESTERN HEMISPHERE

TABLE 13

1979 CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION IN NON-OPEC DEVELOPING COUNTRIES*

MBD MBD

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Mexico

Peru

Trinidad

TOTAL

. 143

.032

.057

.500

. 105

.021

.860

.470

.030

165

:018

● 125

1.490

● 195

.215

2.708

ASIA - PACIFIC

Burma .030

Brunei .255

India .240

Malaysia .270

Pakistan .011

Phillipines .015

TOTAL .821

MIDDLE EAST

Bahrain

Oman

Syria

Turkey

.050

.290

. 165

.056

TOTAL .561

*

Oil and Gas Journal, December 31, 1979.

- 58 -
The OTA estimate relies partially on a DOE report of 1985 production

estimates for 21 non-OPEC LDC's (all countries in Table 13 except those in

the Middle East, Mexico, and the Phillipines) .* This report estimates 1985

production in these countries to total 3.9 MBD. Egypt is expected to remain

the largest producer in the group with production of approximately .75 MBD.

Indian production is expected to increase joining Argentina and MalaysiaBrunei as producers of approximately .5 MBD each. Three countries (Trinidad,

Brazil, and Angola) are projected to produce .25 MBD while only three other

countries (Tunisia, Peru, and Colombia) are projected to producer over .1

MBD .

The CIA** has projected that some minor increases above the DOE estimate

would be possible for the countries of Egypt, Brazil, Argentina, and Peru.

These increases suggest that production would total as much as 4.4 MBD (or .5

MBD more than the DOE estimate). OTA estimates a range of production of

3.9-4.4 MBD for these 21 countries.

Based upon their current reserves, OTA estimates that no significant

increases are likely from the four

(Bahrain, Oman, Syria and Turkey).

produce approximately .6 MBD (equal

of 4.5-5 MBD for total production in

obtained by adding the Middle East

production outside the Middle East.

non-OPEC countries in the Middle East

OTA estimates that these countries will

to their 1979 total). The OTA estimate

the non-OPEC LDC’s, excluding Mexico, is

production estimate to the estimate of

Production from new sources till have a

negligible effect on 1985 production due to the normal lag time between

discovery and significant production.

DOE (Art Warner), The 1985 Oil Production of 21 Oil Producing Non-OPEC

Countries, 1979.

**

CIA, The World Oil Market in the Years Ahead, 1979.

-59-
The current reserves in the non-OPEC LDC’s, excluding Mexico, total

approximately 26 billion barrels. These reserves are insufficient to support

through the year 2000 the 1985 levels of production estimated by OTA.

However, modest additions to reserves are thought likely in most producing

countries and small discoveries may be made in some non-producing countries. *

Based on this information, OTA estimates that production in these areas

will range between 4-6 MBD in the year 2000 unless new large discoveries are

made. The possibility of large discoveries is considered small since the

only non-Communist LDC region with significant potential is the Malvinas

basin between Argentina and the Falkland Islands.

Some studies have speculated about the possibility of higher production

from these areas in the year 2000. These studies have suggested that these

areas have not been explored extensively. They predict that increased oil

prices will lead to a significant increase in the exploration, development,

and production from these areas. In general, these studies do not pinpoint

**

the areas where these large increases in production will be made.

*

Based on R. Nehring, Giant Oil Fields and World Oil Resources, and private

communications. Reserve additions, however, have not equalled production in

the last two years. According to the Oil and Gas Journal annual estimates,

reserves have declined from 29 billion barrels on January 1, 1978 to 26

billion barrels on January 1, 1980.

**

For example, W. Brown and H. Kahn (in “Why OPEC is Vulnerable,” Fortune,

July 14, 1980, pp. 66-69) project non+PEC oil production to increase at a

rate of 5-7% in the 1980’s. This rate of increase would result in non-OPEC

production increasing from the current level of approximately 20 MBD to 30-40

MBD by 19900 The percentage of this production which will arise form the

non+3PEC LDC’S is not stated. The authors of this paper cite rising prices

and advancing technology as reasons for projecting the increase.

- 60 -
The proposition that increased oil prices will lead to increased

exploration is qualitatively true. However, OTA estimates that the effect of

increased exploration in these areas will not have as pronounced a

quantitative effect on total worldwide oil production as suggested in these

other studies.

OTA expects that new discoveries in non-producing countries will be

made, but that most will be minor. For example, oil was first discovered in

1975 in Guatemala in a field of approximately 25 million barrels.*

Production in 1980 from this field is estimated to be only 0.005 MBD (five

thousand barrels a day). ** This production will have an insignificant effect

on total world production, although it may be significant for Guatemala.

Summary of Non-OPEC LDC Production

Adding the non-Mexican and Mexican production estimates, OTA obtains a

range of production of 7.5-9 MBD in 1985 and 7.5-11.5 MBD in the year 2000.

The high estimate here for non-OPEC LDC production in the year 2000 is

comparable to the recent Exxon forecast.*** The Exxon forecast projected the

combination of Australia, non-OPEC LDC, and Western Europe excluding the

North Sea at 12 MBD in 1990 and 14 MBD in the year 2000. Assuming constant

production for the Western European area and Australia, the Exxon estimate is

11 MBD in 1990 and 13 MBD in the year 2000 for non-OPEC LDC.

* R. Nehring, Giant Oil Fields and World Oil Resources, Rand Corporation,

1978, p. 103.

** Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, April 21, 1980.

*** Exxon, World Energy Outlook, December 1979.

- 61 -
SUMMARY OF NON-COMMUNIST WORLD OIL PRODUCTION

Based upon the above analysis of the production rates of the developed

countries, OPEC, and the non-OPEC LDC’s, non-Communist world oil production

is projected to range between 49-60 MBD in 1985 and 42-62 MBD in 2000

(compared to 51.4 MBD in 1979). The projections of production rates of each

of the individual areas are given in Table 14.

TABLE 14

PROJECTIONS OF FUTURE NON-COMMUNIST WORLD OIL PRODUCTION (MBD)

1978 1985 2000

Developed Countries 14.9 13-1505 7.5-13

OPEC 31.4 28.5-35 27-37

Non-OPEC LDC’s 5.1 7.5-9 705-1105

Total 51.4 49-60 42-62

(may not add due to rounding)

Source: OTA estimates based upon assumptions stated in text.

The remaining factor determining non-Communist world oil supply is the

effect of the Communist countries. This factor is discussed next.

D. EFFECT OF THE COMMUNIST COUNTRIES ON NON-COMMUNIST WORLD OIL SUPPLY*

Historical

Throughout this decade the Communist countries have been net exporters

of oil to the non-Communist world with net exports varying from .413 MBD in

*

This section relies heavily on non-classified CIA documents. OTA estimates

for the year 2000 are subject to much uncertainty as indicated in this

section. OTA is currently assessing the impact of U.S. and other Western

technology might have on future Soviet production.

- 62 -
1973 to .955 MBD in 1977. These exports arose principally from the Soviet

Union which increased petroleum production from 8.6 MBD in 1973 to 10.9 MBD

in 1977 (and further to 11.7 in 1979), making it the world’s largest

producer.

In 1977 the Soviet Union exported 1.4 MBD to the free world of which

over 1 MBD went to Western Europe. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has

also increased production from 1.1 MBD in 1973 to 1.8 MBD in 1977 (and

further to 2.1 MBD in 1979). However, internal needs have absorbed almost

all of the increase with only a small amount .17 MBD in 1977 being exported

to Japan. Partially offsetting these exports by the Soviet Union and the PRC

were imports of .465 MBD by the Eastern bloc countries from OPEC.*

The Situation Until 1985

In their 1977 report,** the CIA estimated that the net exporting trend

of the Communist countries will not continue. In this report, the People’s

Republic of China (PRC) is predicted to be able to supply its growing

internal need through increases in production.

Based upon a comprehensive examination of future Soviet petroleum

availability, the CIA projected a sharp decline in Soviet production to a

level of 8-1O MBD by 1985. A decline of this magnitude could result in a

* CIA, International Energy Statistical Review, 27 June 1979.

** CIA, International Energy Situation: Outlook to 1985, April 1977.

- 63 -
—

deficit of up to 1.9 MBD for the Eastern bloc countries as a whole by 1985*

Part of this deficit may be met by conservation strategies and by the

substitution of natural gas and nuclear power for oil, but to the extent that

these do not make up the difference, the USSR and its Eastern bloc trading

partners face serious dilemmas. The Soviet Union earns approximately half of

its badly needed hard currency from oil exports to the West. The cessation

of these exports would be a serious economic blow to the Soviet economy,

Moreover, the import of significant amounts of oil from non-Communist sources

would likely place an intolerable burden on remaining hard currency reserves.

These considerations might well lead the Soviet Union to

stabilize its soft-currency exports to Eastern Europe, forcing

increasingly onto world markets for oil.

cut back or

those nations

The complexity of this situation and the variety of political and

economic factors which will probably influence Soviet policies make uncertain

the implications of declining Soviet production. This uncertainty, together

with the disagreements which have arisen over the CIA’S conclusions regarding

Soviet production and consumption, have made the CIA projections quite

controversial. This will be one of the issues examined in OTA’s forthcoming

study of Technology and Soviet Energy Availability.

*CIA, Soviet Energy Problems and Prospects, 9 February 1979.

- 64 -
— — —

The Es stern European bloc countries (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East

Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia) and Cuba can be expected

to be particularly hard hit by any sharp decline in Soviet production.

In 1977 the Soviet Union exported 1.8 MBD to these areas with the

majority (1.386 MBD) going to Eastern Europe. In 1977, the Eastern European

countries were 60% dependent on the Soviet Union for their oil supplies while

less than 20% was met by domestic production. The remaining 20% came from

imports from OPEC, principally Iran and Iraq.* The Eastern European bloc

countries, with proved reserves of only 1.5 billion barrels, will be unable

to increase production above the level of .4 MBD.

If Soviet exports to Eastern Europe were to cease in the early 1980’s,

then the Eastern European countries would be forced to import nearly 2 MBD at

today’s consumption and production levels. Moreover, since production in

Eastern Europe is concentrated almost entirely in the countries of Romania,

Yugoslavia, and Hungary, then the remaining countries (Bulgaria,

Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and Poland) would be completely dependent on

external sources for their oil consumption needs. Currently, however,

Soviet policy states that they will maintain oil exports to Eastern Europe.

Therefore the most likely occurence is no increase in these imports rather

than cessation. A breakdown on consumption and production by country for

Eastern Europe is given in Table 15.

*

CIA, International Energy Statistical Review, 27 June 1979.

- 65 -
TABLE 15

1977 EASTERN EUROPEAN PRODUCTION AND

Bulgaria

Czechoslovakia

East Germany

Hungary

Poland

Romania

Yugoslavia

TOTAL

CONSUMPTION BY

Product ion

● 002

● 003

● 001

● 043

● 009

.308

.078

● 443

COUNTRY (MBD)

Consumption

.284

.383

● 341

● 21 2

● 35 9

.348

.288

2.215

Source: CIA, International Energy Statistical Review, 27 June 1979.

The Situation After 1985

After 1985 the rate of Soviet oil production is highly uncertain.

There are promising geological areas near Sakhalin in the Sea of Okhotsk, in

the deep structures of the Caspian Sea, in the East Siberian lowlands, and

over much of the Arctic offshore regions.

Currently, the Japanese and the Soviet Union are jointly exploring

Sakhalin. Exploration so far in the East Siberian lowlands indicates that

it may be a natural gas area rather than oil. Soviet offshore drilling is

still in its infancy and the Soviet Union lacks both equipment and experience

to undertake the deep well drilling in the Caspian region without external

technical assistance. Production from these three areas is possible before

2000; however, it is unlikely that the offshore Arctic areas

- 66 -
—

will be developed this century. The conditions in these areas are such that

the technology for development does not currently exist even in the West.

It is therefore possible that Soviet petroleum production may not exceed

8-10 MBD through the period of 1985-2000. Even the maintenance of the

production rate of 10 MBD requires, between 1980-2000, the addition of 55

billion barrels to reserves (based upon the CIA estimate (Table 4) of 40

billion barrels for Soviet proved oil reserves).

Unless consumption were reduced these production levels would leave a

deficit that could conceivably have to be filled by imports. OTA estimates

that if this is the case , net imports could total up to 2 MBD, although

substitution of nuclear energy and natural gas for oil could help reduce

this.

Production levels higher than 10 MBD may be possible if large

discoveries are made. But Soviet oil production will be extremely expensive

in terms of both capital, manpower, and equipment. Therefore, it appears

likely that the Soviet Union will attempt to achieve only the levels

necessary to meet its domestic needs and those of its satellite countries.

While the PRC is expected to increase production until 1985 over its

current level of 2.3 MBD; the situation after 1985 is unclear and further

increases in production after 1985 will depend upon the rate of new

discoveries. A promising region for supporting increases is the offshore

areas in the South China Sea where ownership is disputed. The rate at which

this area may be explored and developed will depend upon the willingness of

the PRC to employ U.S. and Japanese assistance.

Substantial exports by the PRC are not expected. This is due to

- 67 -
political as much as geological assumptions. Self-reliance is considered

extremely important in China and it is debatable whether the Chinese would

find exports desirable if this would jeopardize their failure to meet growing

future domestic needs.

Summary of the Effect of Communist Countries

If the CIA is correct, we estimate an import potential for the Communist

countries of O to 1.9 MBD in 1985 and O-2 MBD in 2000. As stated above,

however, there is considerable uncertainty about this and further analysis is

necessary. For example,

2000 arising principally

of China.

Exxon* projects net Communist exports of 1 MBD in

from increased production by the People’s Republic

PROJECTIONS OF NON-COMMUNIST WORLD OIL SUPPLIES

Based upon the OTA analysis of non-communist world oil production and

the possibility of net imports by the Communist countries, a range for

non-Communist world oil supply of 47-60 MBD for 1985 and 40-62 MBD for 2000

is projected. These ranges should be compared with the 1979 non-Communist

world oil supply of 52.4 MBD.

It is thus possible that non-Communist world oil supply (and

importantly the developed countries oil supply) will experience

more

no increase

and will, in fact, decline over the next three decades. Moreover, even under

optimistic assumptions non-Communist world oil supply will not experience the

level of increase that had been anticipated by earlier studies.

Exxon, World Energy Outlook, December 1979.

**

Several studies made before the Iranian revolution are analyzed in the next

section.

- 68 -
TABLE 16

PROJECTIONS OF FUTURE NON-COMMUNIST WORLD OIL SUPPLIES (MBD)

Developed Countries

OPEC

Non-OPEC LDC’s

Net Communist Trade**

TOTAL ***

1979

14.9

31• 4

501

1*

52.4

1985 2000

13-15.5 7.5-13

28.5-3 5 27-37

7.5-9 705-11.5

(-1 ● 9)- o (-2 )-o

47-60 40-62

* Estimate

** Negative number indicates Communist imports. As indicated in the text,

there is considerable uncertainty in the estimates for the years 1985, 2000.

***May not add due to rounding.

Source: OTA based upon assumptions stated in text.

- 69 -
4. COMPARISON WITH OTHER FORECASTS

Forecasts Made After January 1979

Two oil companies (Exxon and British Petroleum) have made projections

for production through the year 2000 since the Iranian revolution. Few

details are given in either the Exxon or British Petroleum forecasts.

Conservable care must be made in directly comparing these estimates with

the OTA estimates. The Exxon forecast includes synthetics and unconventional

oil in its projection, which are not included in the OTA study. The British

Petroleum forecast is for non-Communist world crude oil production. This

study does not consider natural gas liquids production or the effect of the

Communist countries.

The British Petroleum estimate falls into the lower half of our

production range while the Exxon forecast is at the upper end of our

projection range. The primary difference in the Exxon and BP forecasts

appears to be the projection of new discoveries outside of OPEC. This

difference reflects the subjective judgments that are necessary in long term

petroleum production forecasts.

British Petroleum (BP)*

BP forecasts non-Communist world crude oil production peaking in 1985 in

the range 54-61 MBD and then steadily declining to a level of 40-48 MBD in

the year 2000. The higher levels assumed Saudi Arabian production at 12 MBD,

Iran at 4 MBD, and the removal of conservation limits imposed by some other

OPEC countries.

* British Petroleum Ltd., Oil Crisis Again, September 19790 (Note numbers

are read from graphs and not tables.)

- 70 -
After adding approximately 3 MBD of natural gas liquids (today’s current

rate) to the above estimate, one obtains a range of 43-51 MBD for

non-Communist world oil production. This range is in the lower half of the

OTA range of production estimates for the year 2000.

Exxon*

Exxon projects conventional free world liquid petroleum supply rising to

58 MBD in 1990 and 60 MBD in the year 2000.** This estimate for 2000 is near

the higher estimate of supply possibilities listed in this OTA report.

A breakdown by region is compared with the OTA estimate for the year

2000 in Table 17. Exxon’s estimates for the U.S., Canada, and OPEC

production fall with the range of OTA estimates for the year 2000. Their

estimate for Europe, other non-OPEC countries, and Communist exports are

slighter higher than the OTA range of production possibilities. The regional

Exxon estimates have been compared to the OTA estimates in each section of

the report.

Table 17

Liquid Petroleum Supply in the Year 2000 (MBD)

Exxon OTA

OPEC 33 27-37

U.S. and Canada 8 5-9

Europe 4 2.0-3.5

Other Non-OPEC 14 8-12

Subtotal 59 42-62

Communist exports 1 (-2) to o

Total 60 40-62

(May not add due to rounding)

* Exxon, World Energy Outlook to 2000, December 1979.

** Unconventional and synthetic production, estimated by Exxon to be 6 MBD in

the year 2000, has been deleted in the description here.

- 71 -
Congressional Budget Office

Concurrently with the preparation of this report, the Congressional

Budget Office (CBO) prepared a report The World Oil Market in the 1980s:

Implications for the United States which was released in may 1980. This

report has point projections of future oil supply through this decade. Their

estimates of production in the US and in the non-OPEC LDC’s are somewhat

higher than those in this OTA report. These higher estimates are based upon

assumed, new discovery rates which are higher than those given in this

report.

The CBO study projects world petroleum availability in 1985 to be 54.5

MBD. This estimate falls within the range of OTA estimates (47-60 MBD) for

1985. The corresponding regional estimates are compared in the table below.

Table 18

1985 Non-Communist World Oil Supply (MBD)

OTA CBO

Developed countries

United States

Canada

North Sea

Other

OPEC

Non-OPEC LDC

Communist trade

Totals...

(May not add due to

rounding)

7.2-8. 6

1.6-108

2.8-4

28.5-35

7.5-9

(-2)- o

47-60

9.4

1.5

15.6

30.1

9.8 *

-1

54.5

*

Australia was classified with the non-OPEC LDC category in the CBO report.

OTA estimated its production at .5 MBD and included it in the other category

of the developed countries in this description of the CBO report.

SOURCE: OTA, CBO.

- 72 -
Forecasts Prior to January 1979

It is difficult to compare the analysis here with other forecasts made

prior to the disruption in Iran. Prior to the Iranian revolution, many

projections had assumed that oil exporters would produce at (or close to)

their maximum production rates. However, as was discussed in Section 3, the

events in Iran have made it clear that many oil exporters would prefer to

lower production rates.

In the

political,

production

Information

analysis here OTA has attempted to take into consideration the

economic, technical, and geological factors that determine

in each country. Several studies (including the Energy

Agency

discussed below),

of DOE and Electrical” Power Research Institute studies

working with data prior to the Iranian revolution, had

ignored the importance of the non-geological factors. Consequently, these

studies have estimated non-Communist world oil supply to be significantly

higher than the OTA estimates in this report.

Energy Information Agency

The Energy Information Agency (EIA) of the Department of Energy made an

estimate of future non-Communist world oil supply in its Volume 3 of the 1978

Annual Report to the Congress which was released in 1979. The EIA has

projected

70.3-90.4

free world oil supply to range between 56.2-63.1 MBD in 1985 and

MBD in 1995.

These estimates are considerably higher than

non-Communist world oil supply made in this report.

the projections for

The EIA estimates for

1995 estimates are even 10 to 30 MBD above the OTA high estimate for

- 73 -
production in the year 2000. However, the EIA has recently testified* that

the disruption in Iran has significantly altered their projections and that

their production rates will be modified.

It is important to understand the EIA methodology which caused these

high projections. EIA

production possibilities

on econometric modelling

does not make a country by country analysis of the

of the major producers. Instead EIA relies heavily

resulting in the their supply estimates of petroleum

being price driven. This does not imply that all other factors are totally

ignored but only that the price of oil is the major factor in determining the

available supply of petroleum. A range of production estimates is then made

under varying assumptions on price.

The EIA uses different price analyses for determining the production

ranges for foreign non-OPEC, OPEC, and the U.S. For foreign non-OPEC

production (Mexico, North Sea, etc.), the EIA first obtained ranges of

foreign supply potential (at constant prices) provided by the International

Affairs Division of DOE. The future production rates for these countries are

then determined using a long-term supply elasticity of 0.2. This assumption

means that any 10% in price would

ten years have elapsed. Thus price

OPEC production is determined

for oil, capacity expansion plans,

described as follows:

c . Roger LeGassie, EIA before

lead to a 2% increase in production after

determines supply in the EIA model.

by EIA to be a function of world demand

and price. This process can be briefly

the Permanent Select House Committee on

Intelligence, October 17, 1979.

- 74 -
OPEC expands capacity from its current level of 34 MBD to a

39 MBD in 1995 if oil prices remain constant or decline

dollars (approximately .3 MBD a year).

level of

in real

If prices rise, OPEC would increase its annual rate of capacity an

additional .65 MBD a year after 1985 with capacity

the level of 45.8 MBD is obtained.

Future U.S. petroleum production is determined based

increasing until

on a combination

of geologic, price and cost of production assumptions. Increases in price

are assumed to have a direct effect on the rate of exploration for and

development of our current undiscovered resources. Estimates of the U.S.

undiscovered resource are taken from 1975 U.S.G.S. estimates. (Most experts

consider these estimates inflated based upon recent disappointing drilling

experience.)

The

in their

EIA approach is of limited value in making supply projections, since

analysis supply is primarily price determined. In reality the

supply of oil is price-driven for only a limited range of circumstances. The

first circumstance is where the cost of production is close to the market

price. This is true in some places but these places would produce only small

amounts because they are in small (high-cost) fields. The second

circumstance is where known reserves are viewed as the only national asset

able to generate economic development, and the rate of development is limited

by foreign exchange. This was true in the Shah’s Iran (and may be true of

Iran in the future) and is perhaps true of Nigeria. But this circumstance

does not apply to most known reserves. For most of the world’s production of

oil , increases in supply will be determined either by geology (u. s ● ,

U.S.S.R. , North Sea) or by political factors (Persian Gulf) .

- 75 -
that

The EIA model gives little consideration to the conservation objectives

have been explicitly stated by several governments. Saudi production is

projected to range between 14-16.4 MBD despite official Saudi statements that

sustainable capacity would not be extended beyond levels to support

production of 12 MBD and that actual production may be held to 10 MBD.

Kuwait and the UAE are projected to increase production by 1995 a minimum of

1.2 MBD despite statements by these two governments that they will not

increase production.

The EIA price analysis also leads to some extremely

future U.S. production from new (post 1978) additions to

the U.S. added only 1.3 billion barrels to reserves, and

addition since 1973 has been approximately 1.5 billion

high estimates for

reserves. In 1978

the average annual

barrels despite a

five-fold price increase since 1973. The continued addition of 1.5 billion

barrels per year to reserves would result in a production of approximately 3

MBD from this source by 1995. However, EIA estimates that between 4.34 and

10.73 MBD will come from production from reserve additions.

Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI), Outlook for World Oil into the

21st Century, May 1978

EPRI published a forecast of future non-Communist world oil supply

excluding U.S. production will rise to a maximum level of 72 MBD, occuring at

the earliest by 1995-96. OPEC production will account for 51 MBD of this

production.

It is important to note that EPRI had

considerations by exporting countries will not

limited. This assumption is based upon an analysis

- 76 -

assumed that political

cause production to be

by Professor D.A. Rustow.
As stated by EPRI in this report,

"very brief 1 y, Professor Rustow believes that the

the major oil exporting countries, regardless

orientations, Will find it expedient to sell

governments of

of political

oil to the

non-Communist world within the limits of their technical capacity

and economic needs. Thus , in most situations purely political

considerations are unlikely to determine the long term glob al

avail ability and price of oil."

Events following the disrupt ion in Iran have made this assumption untenable.

- 77 -

0