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Will oil shale ever be commercially viable?

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Unfortunately, two very different types of deposits have similar names. Exxon and Unocal had major-league efforts to recover oil shale commercially back in the '70's, spurred on by high prices and tax credits. Ultimately, the projects failed economically. read more

It seems like its proven to be commercially viable now. At the present, half the US oil production is from Shale sands. Prices for key fracking operations have declined as experience increases and competitive pressure in a poor market is put on the US oil services industries. read more

As the ice melts in the Arctic, opening up the possibility of exploiting new oil and gas reserves, there are conflicting views on whether that will be commercially viable. The future of this pristine environment apparently depends not so much on whether it is good or bad for the planet that more fossil fuels are burnt, but on the price of gas. read more

More recently, prices for crude oil have again risen to levels that may make oil shale-based oil production commercially viable, and both governments and industry are interested in pursuing the development of oil shale as an alternative to conventional oil. read more

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