Window to the Concept of Peak Oil and Policy Implications: Case of Iran

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Master's Student in Economics, Department of Economics, Faculty of Economy and Political Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Professor, Department of Energy Systems, Faculty of Energy Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The exhaustibility of fossil energy sources, particularly oil and natural gas, has led to search about when these reservoirs will be depleted or when the maximum extraction from the resources will occur. In this paper, the evolution of the concept of oil peak has been analyzed. The time of Iran's oil peak will be investigated using three scenarios based on King Hubert's theory. Also, other factors such as technology, energy transition, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic are examined as complementary topics. The results of this research show Iran's oil peak will occur in the next two to three decades. Concerning concepts such as the transition to renewable energies around the world, Iran's opportunities to make decisions and take actions are very limited. Finally, some policy recommendations based on the various aspects of the oil peak have been discussed in order to better encounter Iran's oil peak.

Keywords


  1. Bentley, R. (2016). Introduction to Peak Oil. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26372-4
  2. (2021). What a Dutch Court Ruling Means foe Shell and Big Oil. Retrieved from: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-04/what-a-dutch-court-ruling-means-for-shell-and-big-oil-quicktake
  3. (2022). BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2022. [online] London: BP Statistical Review of World Energy. https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2022-full-report.pdf
  4. Brandt, A. (2010). Review of mathematical models of future oil supply: Historical overview and synthesizing critique. Energy, 35(9), 3958-3974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2010.04.045
  5. Campbell, C. J., & Laherrère, J. H. (1998). The End of Cheap Oil. Scientific American, 278(3), 78–83. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26057708
  6. (2021). Balance of payments. Retrieved from: https://www.cbi.ir/simplelist/23791.aspx
  7. Claerbout, J. & Muir, F. (2020). Hubbert math. Retrieved from: https://sepwww.standford.edu/sep/jon/hubbert.pdf
  8. Crude Oil Peak. (2012). Iran’s 2nd and last oil peak. Retrieved from: http://crudeoilpeak.info/irans-2nd-and-last-oil-peak
  9. Cunha, R. & Missemer, A. (2020). The Hotelling Rule in Non-Renewable Resource Economics: A Reassessment. Canadian Journal of Economics, 53(2): 800-820. https://doi.org/10.1111/caje.12444
  10. (2016). Danesh Neft report from the conference "Examining the requirements and challenges of partnership contracts and investment financial instruments". Retrieved from: http://www.daneshenaft.ir/cvid/250/content/10102/default.aspx
  11. Devarajan, S., & Fisher, A. C. (1981). Hotelling’s “Economics of Exhaustible Resources”: Fifty Years Later. Journal of Economic Literature, 19(1), 65–73. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2724235
  12. Ebrahimi, M. & Ghasabani, N. (2015). Forecasting OPEC crude oil production using a variant Multicyclic Hubbert Model. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2015.04.010
  13. Energy balance sheet of 2019. (2019). Deputy Department of Electricity and Energy Affairs, Ministry of Energy. https://pep.moe.gov.ir
  14. Energy consumption pattern modification law. (2011). Retrieved from: https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/789793
  15.  
  16. Hosseini, S. H., G., H. S., Kiani, B., Pour, M. M., & Ghanbari, M. (2014). Examination of Iran’s crude oil production peak and evaluating the consequences: a system dynamics approach. Energy Exploration & Exploitation, 32(4), 673–690. http://www.jstor.org/stable/90006592
  17. Hubbert, M. (1962). Energy Resources. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
  18. Hydrocarbon balance sheet. (2017). Deputy Department of Planning of the Ministry of Oil. Tehran: The central building of the Ministry of Petroleum.
  19. (2021). Net Zero by 2050. A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. Paris: International Energy Agency.
  20. Indonesia Crude Oil Production. (2023). Trading Economics. Retrieved from: https://tradingeconomics.com/indonesia/crude-oil-production
  21. (2022). “Nigeria: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2022 Article IV Mission”. Retrieved from: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2022/11/18/nigeria-staff-concluding-statement-of-the-2022-article-iv-mission
  22. Law of the 6th five-year economic, social and cultural development plan (2017-2021). (2017). Retrieved from: https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/1014547
  23. Law of the Third Economic, Social and Cultural Development Program of the Islamic Republic of Iran. (2000). Retrieved from: https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/93301
  24. Malaekeh, S., Safaie, A., Shiva, L. & Tabari, H. (2022). Spatio-temporal variation of hydro-climatic variables and extreme indices over Iran based on reanalysis data. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 36:3725–3752. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-022-02223-0
  25. Mirzaei Piyaman, A., Salavati, S., Karimi, H. & Masihi, M. (2008). Evaluation of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods in fractured carbonate reservoirs. Applied geology and environment conference. https://sid.ir/paper/818593/fa
  26. (2021). What is recovery factor? Retrieved from: http://www.mizenaft.com/report/29322/%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%B6%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A8-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AA-%DA%86%DB%8C%
  27. Nigeria Crude Oil: Exports. (2021). CEIC. Retrieved from: https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/nigeria/crude-oil-exports
  28. Nigeria Crude Oil Production. (2023). Trading Economics. Retrieved from: https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/crude-oil-production
  29. Norway Crude Oil Production. (2023). Trading Economics. Retrieved from: https://tradingeconomics.com/norway/crude-oil-production
  30. Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. (2022). Production figures September 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.npd.no/en/facts/news/Production-figures/2022/production-figures-september-2022/
  31. Nowrozi, M. (2022). “Investigating obstacles to improving the effectiveness of the Supreme Energy Council”. Retrieved from: https://iranthinktanks.com/examining-the-barriers-to-improving-the-effectiveness-of-the-high-energy-council/
  32. Oil: High stakes, high costs in the North Sea. (1975) Time Magazine. Retrieved from:
    https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,913489,00.html
  33. Kennedy & et al. (2005). 125 questions: What don’t we know? Science, 309, pp.75–102. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencemag.org/site/feature/misc/webfeat/125th/
  34. Kiani, B., & Hosseini, S.H. (2009). Examining the Hubbert Peak of Iran's Crude Oil: A System Dynamics Approach. European Journal of Scientific Research, 25(3), 437-447.
  35. Kothari, A. & Chhapgar, B. (2005). Threasure of Natural History. Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press.
  36. Makhdoum, H. & Pouransari, Z. (2022). Analytical Study of Iran Nonrenewable Energy Resources Using Hubbert Theory. ACS Omega, 7(2):1772-1784. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.1c04696
  37. Obite, C., Chukwu, A., Bartholomew, D., Nwosu, U. & Esiaba, G. (2021). Classical and machine learning modeling of crude oil production in Nigeria: Identification of an eminent model for application. Energy Reports, 7: 3497-3505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2021.06.005
  38. (2017). “A Modern Validation of Hotteling’s Rule”. Theoretical Economic Letters, 7. https://doi.org/10.4236/tel.2017.77140
  39. Shepherd, M. (2009). Oil Field Production Geology: AAPG Memoir 91. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. https://doi.org/10.1306/M911316
  40. Today in energy. (2018). U.S. monthly crude oil production exceeds 10 million barrels per day, highest since 1970. Retrieved from: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=34772
  41. Tsai, W. (2020). Carbon Emission Reduction—Carbon Tax, Carbon Trading, and Carbon Offset. Energies, 13(22): 6128. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13226128
  42. White House. (2021). President Biden sets 2030 greenhouse gas pollution reduction target. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/22/fact-sheet-president-biden-sets-2030-greenhouse-gas-pollution-reduction-target-aimed-at-creating-good-paying-union-jobs-and-securing-u-s-leadership-on-clean-energy-technologies/