Tag: Kevin Birn
More Alberta refining, upgrading of heavy crude oil is never going to be economic, but partial upgrading might be
Full upgrading is a bust, new refineries are too risky, and converting existing refineries is constrained by US shale oil supplies Albertans should stop pining for more refining and upgrading of Alberta oil sands bitumen and heavy crude oil, judging by the conclusions of a new study from IHS MarkIt. The economics simply don’t work. […]
Podcast: Plunging oil sands production costs explained, with Kevin Birn of IHS MarkIt
In situ cash operating costs now $7-8/b, set to drop another 20-30% over next decade My guest on this Markham On Energy podcast is someone I interview regularly about the Alberta oil sands, especially to explain the economics of an industry that is difficult for outsiders to understand. Kevin Birn is the IHS MarkIt director of […]
Alberta oil sands economics much better than BC pipeline opponents allege
Oil sands costs down/productivity up, which drives higher volumes, increases need for new pipelines When oil prices collapsed in late 2014, oil producers did what they always do in such circumstances: drove down costs in order to survive. Saudi Arabia, attempting to push American shale drillers from the market, under-estimated just how low non-OPEC companies could […]
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.