Opec believed to overstate oil reserves by 70%

[Javaman]

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/opec-believed-to-overstate-oil-reserves-by-70-reserves-depleted-sooner-2012-10-04

Analysts at a New York-based research firm believe that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (Opec’s) global oil reserve statements could be inflated by as much as 70%.

Global oil prices are expected to dramatically spike from the end of the decade as a result of depletion, and continue to dramatically rise into the future as a result of oil-producing countries being unable to replace reserves fast enough, research specialist Lux Research analysts told Mining Weekly Online on Thursday.

Researchers said the known oil reserves of Opec members would be depleted much sooner than thought, owing to many of the member countries producing much more oil than what they could sustain over the long term.

Oil, gas and mining analyst Rick Nariani said Opec’s stated reserves skyrocketed from 878-billion barrels to 1.2-trillion barrels throughout the 1980s and 1990s, without any new significant discoveries being made. With cumulative oil production of 449-billion, the true reserves for Opec could be as low as 428.94-billion, which would result in global price shocks by 2020.

more at link...

[louis-t]

1. This goes back to OPEC allowing countries to produce based on 'stated reserves'.

They were trying to keep prices up, their members were allowed to produce a percentage of 'stated reserves' that were never verified. A lot of them inflated the numbers so they could produce more.

[4dsc]

2. And still the people sleep

Last edited Thu Oct 11, 2012, 07:48 AM - Edit history (1)

The coming oil crisis is going to be big IMHO because most people don't want to believe that our paradise will ever end.