Case Study → Development of Unconventional Fossil Fuel Energy - Canada, USA, Brazil Simplified Revision Notes for A-Level Edexcel Geography

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Case Study → Development of Unconventional Fossil Fuel Energy - Canada, USA, Brazil

Canadian Tar
Sands

● There are numerous deposits of tar sands in the world • but biggest in Canada &
Venezuela
● Exploitation of Canadian deposits on a commercial scale started in 1967 w/ a focus
on the province of Alberta, most notably the Athabasca area
● Currently Tar sands produce about 40% of Canada's oil output
● The 2015 fall in global price of oil had a depressing impact on the tar sands industry
because extraction of bitumen is expensive, mainly due to large energy input

US Shale Gas

● In 2000, shale gas provided 1% of the USA's gas supply, in 2015 it was nearly 25%
○ Most of the ↑ due to the growing use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to
release oil & gas from underground formations that are otherwise too
difficult to drill
● Most important Shale gas areas: NYC, Pennsylvania, Texas & W. Virginia
● Fracking now a key determiner of US oil security
Environmental concerns
● Possible contamination of groundwater
● Production of pollutants 📝 eg. methane
● Random animal deaths

Brazilian
Deepwater Oil

● The discovery of huge oil deposit gar off the Brazilian coast in 2006 was hailed as
one of the biggest oil finds to date
○ Drilling started in 2006, about 250km off the shores of SE Brazil, in waters 2000m deep. First oil extracted in 2010
● Brazil = one of the leading emerging economies & needs Gas & oil
● By 2019, the aim of Petrobras (state oil company) was to produce 500,000 barrels of
oil a day
○ May reach 3.5 mil barrels a day in 2025 before declining again
Concerns
● Serious pollution of waters
● Rigs are beyond the range of most helicopters and access by ship made hazardous
by prevailing rough seas
● The oil & gas reservoirs contain huge amounts of toxic, flammable & explosive gases

                                                                      Canada's tar sands*

                                                               Brazilian Deepwater Oil*

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Topic 6: The Carbon Cycle & Energy Security

The Long-Term Geological Cycle