친환경 에너지 시대의 비전통오일 개발 필요성 :일본과 한국의 사례를 중심으로

The necessity of developing oil sands in the era of clean energy: Focus on the case of Japan and Korea

Russian invasion of Ukraine and instability in the Middle East brought about serious concerns about the frailties of the fossil fuel age urging the shift to a more sustainable energy system. As the shortage of oil and natural gas dramatically escalated into a global energy crisis, the world cries for energy security and clean environment through the advancing technologies of the renewable energy. However, clean energy projects are facing headwinds in energy markets from cost inflation, supply chain bottlenecks and higher borrowing costs. It becomes inevitable to further develop fossil fuel-based alternatives for the energy security until the world completely transform energy systems speeding up the shift to renewable energy. This paper argues that it is critical for Korea to secure the alternative sources of energy enriching the energy mix, and oil sands can be the stable energy source during the transitional period. There are three main reasons; First, the oil sands deposits exist in many parts of the world; Second, The proven reserves of bitumen contain around 100 billion barrels, which are enough to sustain the world energy demand for few decades until the complete transition to renewable energy system. Third, extraction technologies have already advanced to reduce the carbon emissions.