Global Oil Shale Market is Worth $2.88bn in 2011

Wednesday 7 September 2011, Amsterdam

Oil shale is not a newly discovered energy source; it has been utilised around the world in various places and at various times for more than 150 years. Oil shale is an organic-rich sedimentary rock, found in around 40 countries throughout the world. It can be utilised as an energy source by heating the shale - through either an in-situ or ex-situ process - to release a substance called kerogen, which can then be refined into oil.

However, the high costs of oil shale extraction, together with the ready availability of conventional oil reserves, have made the oil shale industry uneconomic for most of the 20th century. Over the past few years, a combination of high oil prices, improved extraction technologies, and increasing energy demands has reignited interest in the oil shale industry, and a number of countries are currently seeking to establish major domestic oil shale markets. The Oil Shale Market 2011-2021 report calculates the global oil shale market, defined as, spending on new infrastructure and upgrading of existing oil shale facilities plus spending on R&D, to be worth $2.88bn in 2011

Though the industry will be faced with the restraints of proving the effectiveness of some of the new technologies on a commercial scale, overcoming environmental concerns, and confronting a weak global economy, the oil shale market is likely to provide substantial opportunities for potential investors. This report offers an examination of the oil shale market over the next decade, providing detailed market forecasts for each of the regional markets and offering in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges facing companies in the oil shale market throughout the world.

The report also describes the most important technological changes within the oil shale industry and assesses their importance for the growth of the market over the long-term. The various drivers and restraints of the market are evaluated in order to provide readers with specific insights into the future direction of the oil shale market.

The Oil Shale Market 2011-2021 report details the prospects for this dynamic energy sector with detailed forecasts from 2011-2021. The report will be valuable to those already involved in the oil shale market or to those wishing to enter this important market in the future. The Oil Shale Market 2011-2021 report includes 118 tables, charts and graphs quantifying and forecasting the market in detail, and provides information on the 14 leading national markets. In addition, the report offers profiles of 33 of the leading companies involved in the oil shale business.