The economic potential of domestic tar sands

This report summarizes the analysis of the Utah tar sand deposits (see Exhibit 1) prepared for ERDA/Fossil Energy and the Laramie Energy Research Center. Background Like many oil producing countries, the United States contains considerable deposits of tar sands heavy petroleum (bitumen) that will not flow into a wellbore without stimulation. The size of these deposits has been estimated at 24 to 30 billion barrels of resource in place. (See Exhibit 2) The State of Utah contains by far the largest portion, 23.4 to 29.5 billion barrels or 98% of the domestically measured deposits. Within Utah, five major deposits account for 21 to 27 billion barrels. These are: Tar Sand Triangle P. R. Spring Sunny side Asphalt Ridge Hill Creek Given that these five major Utah deposits account for about 90% of the total measured domestic tar sands resource, it appears reasonable to expect that an analysis of these five deposits will substantially reflect the national tar sand potential. Considerable thought and effort have been focused on these Utah deposits and ways of unlocking their potential as a source of domestic energy. The analysis in this report draws from these important past efforts.