The Attraction of the Duvernay

Exxon Mobil Corp. completed the purchase of Celtic Exploration Ltd. last month for a total transaction cost of CAD$ 3.1 billion including debt considerations. This transaction took place February 2013 after the Canadian government approved the deal. Experts suspect there are clues as to why the Celtic sale was so profitable. The sale includes the shale formations of the Duvernay –previously owned by Celtic- which holds an estimated 443 trillion cubic feet of total gas, 11.3 billion barrels of natural gas liquids and 61.7 billion barrels of oil. When combined together with the Montney and Muskwa shale formations, they potentially harbor 3,324 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 58.6 billion barrels of gas liquids and 423.6 billion barrels of oil.

Unlike the Montney formation, experts say it will still take about five to six years for the Duvernay to become fully developed.  However on a positive note, the 446 land leases sold in 2011 for both areas are indications of the Duvernay’s vast potential. The largest acreages belong to Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and Encana Corp. which already sold 49.9 percent interest to a subsidiary of PetroChina called Phoenix Duvernay Gas; and Talisman Energy, Inc. Other companies with a stake in the Duvernay include Bonavista Energy Corp.; Chevron Corp.; Athabasca Oil Corp.; Sinopec Daylight Energy, Ltd.; and Petrobakken Energy Ltd.

The amount of gas reserves that can be extracted from the Duvernay are said to be comparable to those shale formations in Texas and the northeastern portions of the United States. In these locations production is already in full swing—and surging. Operating and drilling costs are more expensive in Alberta’s most promising shale compared to that of already established operations in Texas. For instance, between the Montney and Duvernay, the former is still the winner as far as economics go. It produces $2.50 per mcf of natural gas while the latter is breaking even at $3.20 based on estimates. Due to the Duvernay  being rich in liquids, the value of the resources that are produced could easily double once it becomes fully-developed.

The prospects are bright for the Duvernay. However there are still engineering, geological, economic, social, and environmental difficulties to over come. Whether or not the above companies will be able to get past these obstacles and harness the full potential of one of Alberta’s promising shale and gain profits still remains to be seen.   

The Commercialization of Space: Asteroid Mining

Asteroids are certainly  making a presence this 2013. First, a meteor collided with a Russian city of Chelyabinsk early in February that injured more than a thousand people. Then, there was the passing of Asteroid 2012 DA14, which measured 46 meters in diameter missing the Earth by just 27,520 kilometers. While NASA’s scientists are concerned about the damage that asteroids can cause upon impact with the earth, companies like Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources are instead focusing on a highly-controversial idea—that of asteroid mining.

The infographic created by 911 Metallurgist became the center of debate on the feasibility and practicability of mining the sky. Entitled “How Asteroids Can Save Mankind” the infographic claims that with the depletion of earth’s resources, mining the sky could save humanity. Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) which can be broken into three categories—C-type, S-type, and M-type asteroids— can supply the earth with such resources as water, methane (natural gas), nitrogen, iron, nickel, Platinum Group Metals, magnesium, and titanium, among others.  For example a single asteroid could supply the earth with enough metal for the production of our  electronics and jewelry.

 The commercialization of space is currently a two-way race between Planetary Resources Inc. and Deep Space Industries. Planetary Resources, which is backed by billionaire investors such as Google’s Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, aims to send robotic landers to space with the aim of identifying Near-Earth Asteroids and returning them back to earth. The company also intends to find a way of converting ice found in these asteroids to rocket fuel in order to reduce the cost of going to space.

Meanwhile, Deep Space Industries plans to launch small satellites which they call “Fireflies” by 2015 to prospect for resources. These “Fireflies,” which would weigh around 55 pounds, would hitch rides in larger satellites. Larger crafts which they call “Dragonflies” will be sent to bring back samples. These samples will identify the type of resources  we would be able to harvest from the asteroids. “Dragonflies” are scheduled to start their two- to four- year missions in 2017 and retrieve 60 to 150 pounds of material from these asteroids.

The challenges that space miners face are extraordinary. For starters, the question of cost-effectiveness is paramount. Scientists who are highly skeptical of the idea say that a NASA mission to retrieve two ounces of material from an asteroid would cost a billion dollars. There will also be technical and technological difficulties that space miners will undoubtedly encounter when the time comes to actually mine the asteroid.    Although we are still miles away from obtaining the worlds resources from space, these small steps to development are certainly intriguing to read about.

For more information visit:
 

http://www.mining.com/infographic-why-asteroid-mining-is-necessary-88718/