Posted on 11/23/2004 12:32:19 PM PST by conservativecorner
each capable of holding more than 25 million gallons of oil -- enough to supply every driver in China with gasoline for a month.
That'll make a hell of a target.
for security reasons i guess.
"Strategic petroleum reserve."
I think the Chinese have decided that he who has the fuel will make the rules.
They are putting huge berms around the tanks so when the tanks collapse the oil will be contained until they can mop it up with sponges. Absorbent, yellow, and porous. Otherwise they are setting up yet another colossal potential catastrophe.
In short order, the price of oil is going to go through the roof. But, of course, as it rises it brings into feasibility a huge array of alternative energy sources, some of which have yet to see the light of day (except in science fiction publications).
Any agressive move (Taiwan?) that China makes would almost certainly lead to some kind of embargo / boycott. Having this oil would enable China to continue with its plans in spite of any "temporary interruptions".
No kidding, of course even in an all out war the United States would be accused of creating an Environmental War Crime if it ever attacked the reserve.
I'm not sure if I"m kidding or not.
Makes sense for the chinese, but it will pospone its invasion much much more which is good news.
Their reserve is above ground.
If the fire is hot enough, there will not be much pollution, well not from the oil, anyway. Know what I mean? :)
Why the USA hasn't doubled the size of our SPR is sheer stupidity.
In the worst case scenario, if China attacks Taiwan, we could hit their reserves with conventional bunker busters.
The fact is China will be our main competitor and we should expect this and hope we can coexist. But the PRC has become a fascist state, the economy is run by the military and they will expand their military presence to protect their expanding global interests. We must maintain our strength and push for human rights reforms in the PRC, and accept them (with caution) as trade partners.
This is a primary reason why a Republican strong on defense must win the 2008 election. He or she must continue the tone Bush has firmly set.
Who's there?
Berm.
Berm who?
By contrast, the US Petroleum Reserve is at 670 million barrels (there are 42 gallons to a barrel of oil).
I agree that it should be higher, and I believe that ANWR oil should be mandated to increase its size. ANWR oil should only be for sale in the US, and a large portion therefrom should be targeted to the west coast, which pays higher prices for gasoline and oil.
One problem, though, with increasing the size of the SPR is that the huge salt caverns we use to store our reserve make it incredibly cheap to do so. The SPR site says how much cheaper - something like 90% cheaper:
---Salt formations offer the lowest cost, most environmentally secure way to store crude oil for long periods of time. Stockpiling oil in artificially-created caverns deep within the rock-hard salt costs about $1.50 per barrel. Storing oil in aboveground tanks, by comparison, can cost $15 to $18 per barrel - or at least 10 times the expense. Also, because the salt caverns are 2000-4000 feet below the surface, geologic pressures will seal any crack that develops in the salt formation, assuring that no crude oil leaks from the cavern. An added benefit is the natural temperature difference between the top of the caverns and the bottom - a distance of around 2000 feet; the temperature differential keeps the crude oil continuously circulating in the caverns, giving the oil a consistent quality.
Storage capacity from our current SPR facilities is 727 million barrels, so if we want to substantially increase our reserve, other solutions must be found: either expensive, above-ground storage, or further development of salt caverns (if posible).
25 million gallon tank
55 gal per barrel
$45 per barrel
$20.4 Billion of oil in each tank
52 tanks
= $1.06 Trillion in oil reserves.
Or
25 million gals x 52 tanks = 1.3 billion gallons
1.3 billion gallons = 23.6 million barrels
23.6 million barrels x $45 = $1.06 Trillion
That's alot of oil.
no doubt they don't have baba boxer there interferring with their every move.
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