With the rapid, and apparently sustainable, rise in crude oil prices during the early 2000s previously minor, marginal or uncompetitive forms of energy supply are experiencing a renaissance. In addition, the increasing concerns over global warming are triggering another look at carbon-free energy supplies. These two forces have combined to make unconventional energy the hot topic in the energy supply business.
Unconventional energy, by definition, refers to those forms of supply that have been marginalized in the past by some combination of economic, technological, regulatory or scaling factors. The major categories of unconventional energy include Biofuels, such as biomass-based alcohols and vegetable oils, whose primary application is as a cutter stock in petroleum fuels; Synthetic Liquids, such as petroleum derived from coal or natural gas; and Ultra-Heavy Oils, from countries such as Venezuela, Canada and Mexico, where the unique properties of these oils requires special handling and processing.
Kline’s experience in unconventional energy supplies includes technological, market, and economic assessments, entry strategies for new players, and cost reduction and/or growth planning for established participants.
Selected examples of our experience with Unconventional Energy Supplies:
- Analysis of the fundamental economics of a biodiesel plant in Latin America, including assessment of the markets for the by-products.
- Techno-economic evaluation of biomass-based ethanol integration in the automotive fuel supply chain in Germany, for a leading international bioethanol player.
- Evaluation of a biomass to liquids biodiesel complex in Germany.
- Evaluated the technical and economic status of various competing gas-to-liquids (GTL) technologies and projected their future market impact and likely locations.
- Compared the relative attractiveness of LNG and GTL development options for a large gas field in the Indonesia.
- Assessed the North American market potential for methanol-fueled fuel-cell vehicles.
- Analyzed imported sources of asphaltic crude supply for a North American refiner.
- Developed plan for new gathering system for expanded heavy crude production in Ecuador.
- Reviewed ultra-heavy crude oil production and marketing plans for a Venezuelan producer.
- Development of world-class chemical cluster alternatives for Greater Edmonton based on upgrading of oil-sands bitumen.
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