Topic 6 EQ2

Question 1

Is there a mismatch between supply and demand with coal?

Answer 1

No:
- Both China and USA are largest producers and consumers of coal

Question 2

Why is there no mismatch between coals supply and demand ?

Answer 2

High transport costs relative to a low energy density

Question 3

Is there a mismatch between oils supply and demand?

Answer 3

Yes:
- well over half of oil production comes from OPEC and North America
- small amount of oil production in oil thirsty Europe

Question 4

Why is there a mismatch between oil supply and demand ?

Answer 4

Oil is demanded as a transport fuel as there is no substitute for it

Question 5

Is there a mismatch between Gases supply and demand ?

Answer 5

Yes :
- low transport costs - it can be transferred into liquid form LNG and moved by tanker ship
- directed through pipelines as well

Question 6

How do energy pathways allow mismatches to be resolved ?

Answer 6

Allows transfer to take place between producers and consumer s

Question 7

What do the tensions between supply and demand reflect?

Answer 7

Tensions between human and physical geography.
Physical geography determines the locations of the energy resources but human geography determines where that energy is needed

Question 8

Patterns in coals energy pathway

Answer 8

• three of the largest USA, China , India also import coal
  -Australias exports a lot to South Korea , Japan and Taiwan

Question 9

Patterns in oils energy pathway

Answer 9

• Middle East is largest producer with flows going everywhere
• Only Russian oil pathway is to Europe .

Question 10

Patterns in the gas energy pathway

Answer 10

• LNG and moved by tanker or pipeline
• Russia conspicuously uses pipelines

Question 11

What is the nature of tar sands ?

Answer 11

A mixture of clay, sand, water and bitumen

Question 12

How is tar sands extracted ?

Answer 12

Have to be mined and then injected with steam to make the tar less viscous so that it can be pumped out

Question 13

What is the nature of oil shale?

Answer 13

Oil- bearing rocks that are permeable enough to allow the oil to be pumped out directly

Question 14

How is oil shale extracted ?

Answer 14

Either mined or shale is ignited so that the light oil fractions can be pumped out

Question 15

What is the nature of shale gas?

Answer 15

Natural gas that is trapped in fine-grained sedimentary rocks

Question 16

How is Shale gas extracted ?

Answer 16

Fracking : pumping in water and chemicals forces out the gas

Question 17

What is the nature of deep water oil ?

Answer 17

Oil and gas that is found well offshore and at considerable oceanic depths

Question 18

How is deep water oil extraction

Answer 18

Oceanic rigs : Gulf of Mexico and Brazil

Question 19

Positives of Tar sands

Answer 19

• By 2030, it could meet 16% of North America’s Oil needs
• energy security in Canada, 28% of Canada’s oil is used in Canada and 70% is exploited

Question 20

Negatives of Tar sands

Answer 20

• only economical if the price of a barrel is less than $120
• 1.8 million tonnes of toxic waste are produced every year from Tar sands
• 470 km squared of Alberta woodland has been removed due to open cast mining

Question 21

Positives of Oil Shale

Answer 21

• large reserves, Green River formation has large reserves : 800 billion barrels
• Royal Dutch shell company has developed a plan to heat Shale underground while surrounded by a ‘freeze wall’ so that the kerogen seep out of holes for collection

Question 22

Negative of Oil Shale

Answer 22

• waste, for one barrel , one tonne of waste rock is produced
• two barrels of water for every barrel of oil produced

Question 23

Positives of Shale gas

Answer 23

• from 1% of USA gas supply in 2000 to 25% in 2015
• reduced need for imports in USA

Question 24

Negatives of Shale gas

Answer 24

Environmental concerns with fracking - contamination of groundwater by the chemicals in pumping fluid.

Fraccidents - mysterious deaths of animals and people

Question 25

Positive of deep water oil

Answer 25

Energy security , deep water oil found off the coast of Brazil , in 2020 Petrobras aimed to raise production to 500,000 barrels of oil a day

Question 26

Negatives of deep water oil

Answer 26

Drilling in deep water involves hurricanes and long distances to shore for undersea pipelines. Difficult to access for helicopters and ships due to rough prevailing sea.

Scenic coats in Rio and São Paulo has been disfigured by rigs

Question 27

Positive of unconventional fossil fuels

Answer 27

Energy security
Jobs
Large proven reserves

Question 28

Negative of unconventional fossil fuels

Answer 28

Continue to threaten carbon cycle and amplify global warming

Question 29

How can political conflict cause destruction to energy pathways?

Answer 29

Terrorism - Trans Forcados pipeline was bombed by militants in 2016, resulting in the loss of 300,000 tonnes of crude oil a day

Question 30

How can piracy cause destruction to energy pathways?

Answer 30

Piracy attacks along the strait of Malacca between Malaysia , Indonesia and Singapore , over 500 attacks between 2009-15 where ships were seized for hostage payments

Question 31

Choke points

Answer 31

Critical energy pathways that can cause tension

Question 32

How can weather cause destruction to energy pathways ?

Answer 32

During stormy winter in 2013, UK gas reserves fell to 6 hours due to damage to the pipeline.

Question 33

What is a proxy war?

Answer 33

War instigated by a major power which does not itself get involved

Question 34

What is the cause of the Syrian conflict?

Answer 34

Russia and the Sunni non fundamentalist , and USA and Shia fundamentalist .

Proposed construction of Pipelines through Syria to Europe