Apache cleared to start oil works in southeast

Dolores

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The Senate approved the contract with Apache Dominican Republic Corporation for petroleum exploration and exploitation of the southeastern San Pedro de Macorís coastal basin. The contract had already passed in the Chamber of Deputies and now passes to the Executive Branch for its enactment.

The Senate approved the contract with Apache Dominican Republic Corporation for petroleum exploration and exploitation of the southeastern San Pedro de Macorís coastal basin. The contract had already passed in the Chamber of Deputies and now passes to the Executive Branch for its enactment.

Deputy José Horacio Rodríguez (Alianza País – National District) was a dissenting vote. He opposed the conditions granted to Apache Corporation for the oil exploitation in Dominican coastal waters and expressed concerns about the environmental impact. He stated that “Apache Corporation...

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windeguy

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Where are the climate change activists when you need them?

The DR explores for oil while the rest of the world goes electric. I am of course joking just a bit here.
The DR will get money any way it can. How good are those oil reserves and how hard to get at them?

And how much corruption is again in play between politicians and corporations?
 
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bob saunders

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Apache actually has a pretty good record and wouldn't be spending the money if they didn't already have a good idea what there is down there.
 

Ecoman1949

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Apache actually has a pretty good record and wouldn't be spending the money if they didn't already have a good idea what there is down there.

Bob. I suspect it may be a light crude basin. If that is the case and it’s in easily accessible shale beds, it’s economically viable and cheap to extract.

The DR government is badly in need of new sources of revenue. They know by 2035, the demand for oil is predicted to decrease significantly( I don’t believe it) so they may be going for the golden goose while it can still be sold.

If it’s petrochemical grade crude, there will always be a market for it. The automobile industry can’t achieve their 2035 goals without much lighter vehicles made of plastic. Same for the aviation industry.

If they do find viable production quantities, I hope the DR government uses the royalty revenue properly and doesn’t squander it like we did in our province.

The spin-off not mentioned is the possible presence of natural gas which could be pumped ashore and used to fire greener electrical generation facilities. The other spin-offs are the potential for a DR refinery and the jobs that go with it.

My fear would be a blowout causing a massive spill. I’ve responded to a few of these along our Canadian coast. They require massive resources to stop the blowout and clean the contaminated shorelines. I have no doubt, the DR government doesn’t have these resources and is oblivious to the risks associated with offshore oil drilling.

On the plus side, If it is a light crude basin, the crude, although very toxic, is quickly biodegraded by the marine environment. If it’s heavy crude and washes ashore on tourist resort beaches, the impact on DR tourism will be long term and significant. The DR is risking one sustainable source of revenue for an unsustainable source of revenue.
 
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Ecoman1949

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How long before they know what type of oil it is?
Not until they tap into the reservoir and pull samples. For now it’s an educated best guess based on their seismic surveys and geological analysis of the basin. 3D seismic surveys are their best analytical tool. They use long lines on the sea bed bottom and transmit sound waves downward to determine the geology of the basin. Sometimes plastic explosive charges are used to do the same thing. It’s allowed only if it doesn’t impact fish species and fish habitat.
 

Sailor51

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There really aren't many good things to say about oil, except perhaps employment.
A heavy oil spill would be disasterous. So called 'light oil' less so.
More plastic on cars & trucks?
Scrap yards will last 300,000 years.
Don't forget about those quakes in the area. 3.7 today, but very deep. The P.R. gets half a dozen a day on the S.W. coast.
 

bob saunders

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There really aren't many good things to say about oil, except perhaps employment.
A heavy oil spill would be disasterous. So called 'light oil' less so.
More plastic on cars & trucks?
Scrap yards will last 300,000 years.
Don't forget about those quakes in the area. 3.7 today, but very deep. The P.R. gets half a dozen a day on the S.W. coast.
Really? There are about 6000 products made from oil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_product A pretty useful resource.