Q & AEurope

Despite Falling Energy Prices, Arctic Oil Exploration Likely to Continue

Despite Falling Energy Prices, Arctic Oil Exploration Likely to Continue
The Arctic oil-drilling rig Kulluk sits at the Vigor Shipyards in Seattle, May 25, 2012 (AP photo by Ted S. Warren).

The U.S. Department of the Interior is due to decide this week if Royal Dutch Shell can restart drilling for oil off the coast of Alaska after it was forced to shut down operations in 2012 over safety and environmental concerns. In an email interview, Robert Huebert, an associate professor at the University of Calgary, discussed Arctic drilling amid the slump in global oil prices.

WPR: Who are the main parties interested in exploring Arctic hydrocarbon resources, and what projects are currently underway?

Robert Huebert: Hydrocarbon development and exploration is occurring in the northern land and maritime regions of Canada, the United States, Norway, Greenland and Russia.

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