Estimating the future supply of shale oil: A Bakken case study

James Smith

Energy Economics, 2018, vol. 69, issue C, 395-403

Abstract: We propose a new way to estimate the supply curve of remaining shale oil reserves in the U.S. Our method applies the principle of “successive sampling without replacement” to derive from historical drilling data maximum likelihood estimates of the number and productivity of remaining drilling sites. Unlike existing techniques, this approach identifies the portion of “technically recoverable” resources that can be developed economically at alternative price levels. For example, we estimate that 50% of remaining technically recoverable resources located in the Bakken play—roughly 8 billion barrels—could be developed economically if the oil price remains near $50/barrel. (L71, Q35, Q41).

Keywords: Shale oil supply; Technical change; Sequential sampling; Exploration economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L71 Q35 Q41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:69:y:2018:i:c:p:395-403

DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2017.11.026

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