Very nice write-up. I can suggest a couple of reasons for the fact that tight oil is extracted mostly in the US.
The first is that shale oil extraction involves fracking, which is not without its potential environmental drawbacks. Probably (or "perhaps", depending on one's point of view) shale oil can be extracted under the right conditions without creating any problems, but there are many ways to screw up. (One good discussion of such stuff is at https://www.ecoredux.com/is-fracking-bad-for-environment). Many people have similar fears about nuclear energy--they feel the potential risk of screw-ups outweighs the return (leaving other issues like EROI aside).
The second reason follows on the heels of the first: nations are more likely to implement this technology if their other choices are more constrained. Hence, Russia, for example, has no need yet to go down this road.
Two possibilities, indeed. Either Russia is not doing it because they don't think they need it or because they fear the damage it would cause. The second one is rather unlikely in my opinion. The area where those oil sands are is in the middle of Siberia, a sparsely populated area which has already seen horrific environmental damage caused by mining.
Very nice write-up. I can suggest a couple of reasons for the fact that tight oil is extracted mostly in the US.
The first is that shale oil extraction involves fracking, which is not without its potential environmental drawbacks. Probably (or "perhaps", depending on one's point of view) shale oil can be extracted under the right conditions without creating any problems, but there are many ways to screw up. (One good discussion of such stuff is at https://www.ecoredux.com/is-fracking-bad-for-environment). Many people have similar fears about nuclear energy--they feel the potential risk of screw-ups outweighs the return (leaving other issues like EROI aside).
The second reason follows on the heels of the first: nations are more likely to implement this technology if their other choices are more constrained. Hence, Russia, for example, has no need yet to go down this road.
Two possibilities, indeed. Either Russia is not doing it because they don't think they need it or because they fear the damage it would cause. The second one is rather unlikely in my opinion. The area where those oil sands are is in the middle of Siberia, a sparsely populated area which has already seen horrific environmental damage caused by mining.