 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Greenland Begins Sale Of Oil Concessions
Copenhagen (AFP) Jul 19, 2006 Greenland has opened an eagerly awaited round of concession sales for oil and gas exploration for which officials expect record bidding, authorities on the island said on Wednesday. There are hopes that the remote oil fields of Greenland, an ice-covered island off the coast of northeast Canada, could become a new eldorado for oil companies thanks to a spectacular rise in fossil fuel prices and uncertainty concerning future supplies. The fourth round of concessions is for a zone covering 92,000 square kilometers (35,521 square miles) located between the the 67th and 71st parallels off Disko Bay. The zone is divided into eight blocks of 8,000 to 14,000 square meters (86,110 to 150,694 square feet) each. The round opened on Tuesday, attended by numerous oil companies from North America and Europe. "The result of the many investigations of the oil potential in the Disko-Nuussuaq region has been very encouraging," Joergen Waever Johansen, Greenland's minister of housing, infrastructure, minerals and petroleum, said in a statement. He said there were "many independent indications that there exists an active petroleum system in this very large offshore area" and hailed the "large interest" from the oil industry. Joern Skov Nielsen, division head of Greenland's Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum, told AFP just prior to the opening of the new round that the island had "never known a level of interest for oil exploration like today, which makes us optimistic. "Our dream of becoming a heavyweight energy producer could become reality one day." Companies have until December 15 to submit their proposals, and the winners will be announced in March 2007. After six test drillings in 1976, 1977 and 1990 failed to prove the potential for profitable exploitation off Greenland, record oil prices are now the key to unlocking the fuel potential of the island, which had previously scared off investors because of the high cost of accessing reserves in waters and land which are icebound for most of the year. Global warming, which affects Greenland more than any other place, has also made the job of finding oil easier by reducing the thick layers of ice.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links - Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Self-Cooling Soda Bottles Could Sell Billions
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 17, 2006Every day, the sun bathes the planet in energy--free of charge--yet few systems can take advantage of that source for both heating and cooling. Now, researchers are making progress on a thin-film technology that adheres both solar cells and heat pumps onto surfaces, ultimately turning walls, windows, and maybe even soda bottles into climate control systems. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
