Like many things in Serbia project for selection of a strategic partner for the extraction and processing of oil shale will have to wait for the new government of Serbia.
The outgoing government of Serbia, which has launched a tender to select a consultant to find a strategic partner, decided to halt the decision for now. The new government will have to reach this decision on oil shale exploration project as well as the strategic study for the project realization.
Old completed study confirms that the estimates in Aleksinac area are 400 million tons of verified reserves of oil shale.
“It will be a brave decision. You must choose a strategy that will enable us to begin with using the best technology for producing oil from oil shale Aleksinackih, “said Zlatko Dragosavljevic, secretary of state for mining in the Technical Government of Serbia.
As a man who was one of the initiators of the activation of the research, exploitation and processing of oil shale Dragosavljevic said that Serbia’s interest is to start the project as soon as possible. Now the space is left to continue with the detailed geological investigations.
Dragosavljevic says his proposal is to select strategic partner with best technology that exists in the world.
“The technology must meet all environmental EU standards. We must also develop a clear position and long-term interests of Serbia. It would be best for Serbia, that is, public company for underground exploitation Resavica, which has the exploitation rights, is the majority shareholder in the company that will make a strategic partner, says Dragosavljevic remarking that “Serbia, as the owner of the resource in the future the company has incorporated the right the exploitation of shale and in any case, should keep the golden share. “
So far their interest to deal with the oil shales in Serbia, officially, by signing a letter of intent, confirmed the Petroleum Industry of Serbia AD, Estonian Energy Esti and two investment funds.
Commenting that, when you go to a strategic partner, to see who is seriously interested Dragosavljevic says that for the first phase of exploitation and processing of five million tons of shale a year should invest around one billion euros. This production would provide about 600,000 tons of crude oil (about four million barrels).
For this we need a strategic partner who will bring the best technology and be prepared to invest in facilities for the extraction and processing, but also to comply with environmental principles prescribed by the EU, because the extraction of oil shale is a dirty technology.
It is known that the technology for slates have Estonians, Brazilians, Chinese, these resources are exploited in some other countries, Canada, for example, from Russia and reminded that they have mastered the technology of 60-ies, therefore, when Estonia was part of the Soviet Union.
Russian oil shale processing technology by means of pyrolysis of solid fuel high-speed based on Galoter process. Balkanmagazin Sources say that this technology is very efficient, since turning as much as 91 percent of potential heat of the oil shale into useful (marketable) product, while other technologies do not achieve more than 60 percent. Installations for the processing of oil shale that will offer this technology, process the entire quantity of extracted shale, and gas-generating technology used by approximately 30 percent of the extracted oil shale.
Dragosavljevic not want to bid, whose technology is better.
“This is a strategic project. There is no room for improvisation, “says the mining expert stressing that Serbia does not have to opt either for a strategic partner not only for single technology because, he says,” with confirmed reserves of 400 million tons of shale and processing that would be reached in the second stage 10 million tons of shale would be to work for the next 30 years, which would be received up to 1.2 million tons of oil well pleased. “
In Serbia, to recall, according to estimates there are about two billion tons of oil shale. For them it was known earlier, but because of cheap oil is not any interest in their exploitation. Now, when oil prices exceeded $ 100 a barrel of oil shale could be Serbias advantage.
Source: Danas magazine
