Oil and Gas in the Arctic: Legal Status and Reserves

When researching such a hot topic as development of oil and gas reserves in Artie it's crucial to answer 3 key questions. What is legal status of Artie reserves and Russian offshore zone in Arctic? Are there any gaps in international lawthatinhibits oil and gas development? How big are Arctic o...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: N. N. Shvets, P. V. Beresneva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MGIMO University Press 2014-08-01
Series:Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.vestnik.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/160
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832579517658431488
author N. N. Shvets
P. V. Beresneva
author_facet N. N. Shvets
P. V. Beresneva
author_sort N. N. Shvets
collection DOAJ
description When researching such a hot topic as development of oil and gas reserves in Artie it's crucial to answer 3 key questions. What is legal status of Artie reserves and Russian offshore zone in Arctic? Are there any gaps in international lawthatinhibits oil and gas development? How big are Arctic oil and gas reserves? Are they well-explored? What are production costs of oil and gas in Artie? Is it profitable to develop reserves in Artie? The article addresses these vital questions with the detailed analysis. 1982 UN Convention on the Law of Sea partially regulates Artie legal status but countries apply sectorial principal to Arctic territories to claim their rights. There are few border disputes left. The borders of Russian outer continental shelf are shaped by international law and bilateral agreements and undergoing final review within UN processes and mechanisms. Arctic reserves'estimates do vary significantly as the region is barely explored. According to with a high 2008 US Geological Survey and 2006 Wood Mackenzie and Fugro Robertson study Arctic reserves are about 10-15% of global reserves. Most of them are offshore (around 85%), and gas accounts for 80% of reserves. Russia has more than a half of Artie reserves. Under International Energy Agency it's profitable to develop Arctic oil reserves as production costs ($40-100 bbl) are below current and 2035 forecast oil price. On the contrary, gas production is questionable from costs point of view. Gas market is projected to remain regional. With Artie gas production cost of$ 4-12 million BTU, there is no business case to develop Artie gas in America and at the edge of profitability in Europe.
format Article
id doaj-art-e626ed6f04d149848768f461a87d9bb6
institution Kabale University
issn 2071-8160
2541-9099
language English
publishDate 2014-08-01
publisher MGIMO University Press
record_format Article
series Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta
spelling doaj-art-e626ed6f04d149848768f461a87d9bb62025-01-30T12:16:10ZengMGIMO University PressVestnik MGIMO-Universiteta2071-81602541-90992014-08-0104(37)606710.24833/2071-8160-2014-4-37-60-67160Oil and Gas in the Arctic: Legal Status and ReservesN. N. Shvets0P. V. Beresneva1Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) International Institute of Energy PolicyMoscow State Institute of International Relations (University) International Institute of Energy PolicyWhen researching such a hot topic as development of oil and gas reserves in Artie it's crucial to answer 3 key questions. What is legal status of Artie reserves and Russian offshore zone in Arctic? Are there any gaps in international lawthatinhibits oil and gas development? How big are Arctic oil and gas reserves? Are they well-explored? What are production costs of oil and gas in Artie? Is it profitable to develop reserves in Artie? The article addresses these vital questions with the detailed analysis. 1982 UN Convention on the Law of Sea partially regulates Artie legal status but countries apply sectorial principal to Arctic territories to claim their rights. There are few border disputes left. The borders of Russian outer continental shelf are shaped by international law and bilateral agreements and undergoing final review within UN processes and mechanisms. Arctic reserves'estimates do vary significantly as the region is barely explored. According to with a high 2008 US Geological Survey and 2006 Wood Mackenzie and Fugro Robertson study Arctic reserves are about 10-15% of global reserves. Most of them are offshore (around 85%), and gas accounts for 80% of reserves. Russia has more than a half of Artie reserves. Under International Energy Agency it's profitable to develop Arctic oil reserves as production costs ($40-100 bbl) are below current and 2035 forecast oil price. On the contrary, gas production is questionable from costs point of view. Gas market is projected to remain regional. With Artie gas production cost of$ 4-12 million BTU, there is no business case to develop Artie gas in America and at the edge of profitability in Europe.https://www.vestnik.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/160artieoilgaslegal statusreserves estimatesfeasibility studylong-term cost curve
spellingShingle N. N. Shvets
P. V. Beresneva
Oil and Gas in the Arctic: Legal Status and Reserves
Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta
artie
oil
gas
legal status
reserves estimates
feasibility study
long-term cost curve
title Oil and Gas in the Arctic: Legal Status and Reserves
title_full Oil and Gas in the Arctic: Legal Status and Reserves
title_fullStr Oil and Gas in the Arctic: Legal Status and Reserves
title_full_unstemmed Oil and Gas in the Arctic: Legal Status and Reserves
title_short Oil and Gas in the Arctic: Legal Status and Reserves
title_sort oil and gas in the arctic legal status and reserves
topic artie
oil
gas
legal status
reserves estimates
feasibility study
long-term cost curve
url https://www.vestnik.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/160
work_keys_str_mv AT nnshvets oilandgasinthearcticlegalstatusandreserves
AT pvberesneva oilandgasinthearcticlegalstatusandreserves