Oil in Egypt?

[HEPZIBAH]

[face=Comic Sans MS]I don't know if oil has been found in Egypt ever but the othernight I dreamt that during an archaeological dig oil was found causing major problems and fights between the archaeologists, the oil men and the politicians.

So, what do you think would happen if, on the edge of one of the major monument sites, oil was found?[/face]

[Goddess]

Crikey - you have more exciting dreams than me that's for sure! Mr G was bored to tears the other day as I droned on about a mind numbing weird dream I had just had. It was so riveting, can't even remember it now!

The drive to Alex airport goes through miles and miles of oil refineries, I must say that one of them looks absolutely gorgeous at night time bedecked in all it's white bulbs! Never really thought about where it all comes from before - but it must all be piped in? Wonder where from?

[Horus]

I would say that we have already seen the answer to that question in the building of the Aswan High Dam. As in the case of the dam, the monuments at risk would come second to the politicians and the nations needs unless some outside agency took on the problem of protecting them. To be brutal about it, I think that given the choice between a sustained income from oil revenue or a reliance upon tourism the monuments would lose out. Without the attraction of tourist revenue it is unlikely that anything much would have happened to protect or enhance them in any way, they would still just be sand covered desert ruins. I doubt if it would make a lot of difference to the average Egyptian if his income came from tourism or from the oil companies, they would just go with the flow. The hotel worker would become an oil worker, all other sectors that service tourism would diversify themselves to serve the oil industry. At the end of the day a nations finances are not built upon sentiment, if they struck oil in the valley big time, the rigs would be allowed in, it would be up to UNESCO to save what was left.

[HEPZIBAH]

I would say that we have already seen the answer to that question in the building of the Aswan High Dam.

[face=Comic Sans MS]Interesting answer, and from someone who has a far better idea about such things than I. I hadn't thought about the Aswan Dam and the similarity of scenario.[/face]

[FABlux]

Egypt already produces oil In 2007, Egypt produced 664,000 barrels of oil per day (bbl/d) continuing its fall from a high of 950,000 bbl/d in 1995. Yet having consumed 653,000 b/d in 2007, production was sufficient to prevent Egypt from becoming a net importer of oil as some had predicted. Production and consumption of natural gas continue to rise with a total of 1.9 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) produced and 1.3 Tcf consumed in 2006, making Egypt a net gas exporter.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/Egypt/Background.html

[BBLUX]

Do you remember the rumpus over Egypt exporting gas to Israel last year.

I believe most of the oil and gas are found in the Red Sea area.