The company is currently in the process of acquiring a land position in western Canada over known oil shale and is currently evaluating the alternatives for commercializing this scale oil shale resource. As per the terms of the agreement, they will provide oil shale test samples to Regal. The bulk sample is expected to arrive in Melbourne during May 2010.
Regal has an exclusive license for the pending Underground Coal to Liquids (UCTLTM) technology, which potentially has application to both in-situ and above ground application, termed as Surface Coal to Liquids (SCTL). The technology may have application to oil shales, which are prevalent globally and contain many billions of barrels of oil.
According to the company, to date, finding a viable means of oil extraction from the oil shales that is economic and also low in energy use has been a key issue faced by the oil shale industry. Regal’s SCTL technology has the potential application on assisting separation of hydrocarbon products from the oil shale.
As global energy demands continue to increase, so does the demand and reliance on petroleum products. As conventional oil resources dwindle, the world’s unconventional hydrocarbon resources provide an opportunity to assist in meeting this energy demand. The unconventional resources include oil shale as well as other potential sources such as coal-derived liquids, heavy oil, oil sands and gas to liquids options.
Should the testing of the Canadian oil shale samples at Oak Park be successful and show potential to have processing benefits within Canada, the parties will discuss commercialization options for applying Regal’s technology on the oil shale acreage, the company said.
