Energy in Wall Street Journal, Dec 6, 2011

choi

(1) Russell Gold and Ana Campoy, Oil's Growing Thirst for Water.

The first four paragraphs:

"CARRIZO SPRINGS, Texas--Water has always been  a concern for 65-year-old Joe Parker, who manages a 19000-acre cattle ranch here inSouth Texas. 'Water is scare in our area,' he says, and a scorching yearlong drought has made it even scarcer.

"What has Mr Parker especially concerned are the drilling rigs that now dot the flat, brushy landscape. Each oil well in the area, using the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, requires about six million gallons of water to break open rocks far below the surface and release oil and natural gas. Mr Parker says he worries about whether the underground water can support both ranching and energy exploration.

"Darrell Brownlow, another cattle rancher, says that if the economically depressed region has to choose between the two, the choice should be simple.

"Mr Brownlow, who has a PhD in geochemistry, says it takes 407 million gallons to irrigate 640 acres and grow about $200,000 worth of corn on the arid land. The same amount of water, he says, could be used to frack enough [oil] wells to generate $2.5 billion worth of oil. 'No water, no frack, no wealth,' says Mr Brownlow, who has leased his cattleranch for oil exploration.

Note: pay attention to the location (in southern Texas) of Carrizo Springs, Texas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrizo_Springs,_Texas

(2) Guy Chazan, Russian Oil Frontier: Nowhere Land.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 60200073674124.html

Quote:

"All of East Siberia contains fie billion barrels of proven oil reserves, according to the International Energy Agency, compared with Western Siberia.

"The costs of producing oil in Eastern Siberia and other far0flung areas are high--between $6 and $10 a barrel, compared with $4-$8 a barrel in Russia's older oil provinces, according to IEA. Although crude from Eastern Siberia sells for over $100 a barrel, capital and transport costs take a big chunk out of profits.

"TNK-BP finally delivered Verkjnechonsk's first oil into the ESPO pipeline in October 2008, a landmark event.

My comment:
(a) The report mentions "Samotlor, an oil field in Western Siberia that is one of the largest in the world."

Samotlor Field
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samotlor_Field
(b) This report is worth reading. China is not mentioned but it explains why Russia demands full price for oil exported through ESPO to China.

(3) Brian Spegele, China Fuels Energy Innovation; Unable to find US backing, Entrepreneurs secure Chinese support for clean-power technologies.

The first two paragraphs:

"BEIJING--Will Latt, the founder of clean energy comapny LP Amina Inc, says he tried last year to interest US power utilities in testing a new technology that reduces pollution from burning coal.

"Rebuffed, he took his invention to the coal-belt city of Fengtai in eastern China, where he found a partner eager to install the technology.

My comment:
(a) Fengtai  安徽省淮南市 凤台县
(b) There is no need to read the rest.