Conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resource economics

Abstract

The abundance of unconventional hydrocarbon resources in North America is not unique, though it is the only region that has seen significant progress in extracting and monetising these resources. Many countries have successful conventional exploration and production activities, and have developed suitable fiscal terms and governance models, but these models are challenged with the relevancy of these terms when applied to unconventional resource exploration, evaluation and development. This extended abstract reviews factors that are largely in the control of a host government (for example, the fiscal, licensing and regulatory system), and where challenges lie in cost disadvantages (the provision of services and infrastructure, for which different considerations and approaches need to be applied). It also compares the fundamental economic characteristics between similar-sized investments in an onshore unconventional play and in a conventional oil field in deepwater. Previously, the authors compared these investments in a US environment and the same characteristics will be used for examining typical terms in other environments around the world. By isolating impacts from leasing and fiscal terms, the economics will also be analysed before the overlay of fiscal terms, and then with a royalty/tax and a generic production sharing contract type of fiscal regime. The findings will help in understanding what can facilitate and accelerate the development of unconventional resources, and which enabling environments might be required to attract resources such as capital, technology and expertise.