anwour space

Drilling for oil and natural gas has been part of the world landscape for generations. In fact, it's so commonplace in our modern world that most people don't give it a second thought until an accident occurs. Things like the BP oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Exxon Valdez accident in Alaska always seem to reignite the smouldering flame of disagreement over whether or not mankind ought to be drilling engineering for fossil fuels. HPHT drilling, which is becoming more and more widespread in the petroleum industry, is sparking controversies of its own. But without such drilling we would be left void of some our most important products. One of those products is petrol.

Petrol has dozens of commercial and industrial uses, but it's primarily used as a solvent or a fuel for internal combustion engines. Also known as gasoline, petrol accounts for nearly all of the fuel used in automobiles, lorries, planes, ships and so on. In fact, the entire transportation industry relies so heavily on petrol it would be difficult to keep the world moving without it.

While auto makers and engine builders continue to look for new sources of fuel, progress has been slow and often times unfruitful. Energy sources such as electricity and hydrogen are in the final stages of development before going into mass production. But even these two sources require some means to produce them.

For example, we could convert the entire world's transportation system to electricity, but that electricity still must be produced. Wind, water, and solar power combined cannot produce enough electricity to meet the world's current electricity needs, let alone keep electric vehicles continually moving. Therefore, power plants that run on fossil fuels are still necessary to the equation.

Petroleum products harvested via HPHT drilling are such an integral part of industrialized society that to suggest we simply stop using them is an oversimplification of a perceived problem. Without petrol the world's economies would be devastated. Without the ability to safely and efficiently move products from one end of the earth to the other, the world would be returned to the horse-and-buggy days of local economies and a largely agricultural-based world. While that may appeal to some environmental idealists, it is not a reality most of the industrialized world favours.

Petrol is just one example of how petroleum products dominate our world. Thanks to HPHT drilling, we have access to plentiful oil and gas reserves deep in the earth's surface, both on land and under water. And as oil companies continue to drill, the world continues to hum along on the road to expanded economies and a better life for all of mankind.