The impact of gas on refining: a double-edged sword?

Journal article

Shale formations in the United States have yielded large and increasing amounts of oil and gas through the process of hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’. Many other countries around the world are rolling out plans to repeat the US experiment. Because fracking is a controversial technology, it is unclear at this stage which countries will allow it, but those countries such as India and China which face the greatest growth in transportation fuel demand, also have large shale formations and are seeking to maximise use of the resource.

In this article, we argue that the advent of tight oil and shale gas has the potential to turn the dynamics and economics of fossil fuel supply on its head, not only in the USA but elsewhere, and represents a potential Black Swan event for the global refining sector.

Authors: Stewart, P

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
• Journal: Oxford Energy Forum
• Volume: 92
• Pages: 28-31
• Publication date: 2013-05-01
• Edition: Publisher's version
• ISSN: 0959-7727
• Language: English
• Keywords: OIES