Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:16 pm Post subject: Argentina - energy woes. (a peak oil snapshot?)
Just a cold few days, a few power cuts and no gas (compressed natural gas) for the cars and chaos ensues.
Just a few days!
[quote]Argentina - A cold snap in Argentina led to electricity and natural gas shortages this week, idling factories and taxis and causing sporadic blackouts in the capital.
Beset by the coldest May since 1962, millions of residents fired up space heaters, straining Buenos Aires' electrical grid for three nights and forcing authorities to slash power supply nationwide and briefly cut domestic natural gas provisions and exports to Chile
Grumbling taxi drivers waited for hours in lines stretching several blocks to fill up their black-and-yellow cabs with scarce compressed natural gas. Some protested by tossing garbage into the streets during rush hour Thursday, causing traffic jams.
"I went all over town to 15 service stations and couldn't find compressed gas anywhere," said Ernesto Gorena, whose taxi was among some 70 percent of the city's natural gas-powered fleet that was temporarily idled.
Temperatures hit the freezing point or dipped below for three successive nights in the capital, which has not seen snow in years. Such cold is rare for the southern-hemisphere autumn in Buenos Aires, which normally sees temperatures in the 40s and 50s Fahrenheit or higher this time of year.
Critics said the three-day blast of Antarctic air — which is also blamed for 23 deaths from exposure as well as fires from faulty heaters — has brought to light weaknesses in the nation's plan for meeting rising energy demand.
Political analyst Rosendo Fraga said Argentina's energy woes date to a 2002 economic crisis, when regulators froze rates for home utility bills just after the peso devalued more than 70 percent against the dollar. Since then, far less revenue has been available for upgrading and building plants and other infrastructure.
"A lack of investment in the energy system, in great part generated by the freeze on utility rates, has created a situation which soon or later could explode," Fraga said.
[quote]
more here _________________ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSFLSTb5KfU
Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:18 pm Post subject: Re: Argentina - energy woes. (a peak oil snapshot?)
That's what I tell people ... when the energy gets tight the economy will be fractured and there won't be trillions of dollars available to build a new hydrogen or solar or whatever infrastructure.
Argentina's already on the edge of the long emergency.
Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:07 pm Post subject: Re: Argentina cold snap causes energy woes
It was a rather impressive cold snap for late May. The first image below is from May 28, taken at night. It's an IR satellite image, the darker the color, the warmer.
You can see the cold air has nearly reached all the way to 20 south, the latitude band I circled. In north america this would be equivalent to a cold font reaching cuba and through mexico to the yucatan peninsula. Something that's rare but does happen. You can see how much warmer the amazon is. Below about 20 south things are looking quite frosty.
The next image is for today, June 2. Still chilly, though not as bad as late May. The flow has brought several waves of cold air through. It's not bad during the day but definitely well below freezing at night.. you'd want heat.
Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:51 pm Post subject: Re: Argentina - energy woes. (a peak oil snapshot?)
Argentina has been on the "edge of the long emergency." long before PO was even mentioned.
I find it unusual how many nations on this planet even with the bounty of cheap energy this world has to offer now, still can't get their act together and create a somewhat stable economy that can provide for it's citizens. If these nations can't stay afloat now what chance do they have in a post PO world? I think these are the nations that will go belly up first.
sounds insensitive but it's just my prediction
On the bright side at least Argentina isn't as bad as Zimbabwe.
BTW that nation is on my list of "places to visit before you die" (Argentina not Zimbabwe..just to clarify)
Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 309 Location: Fort Collins, CO
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 12:00 am Post subject: Re: Argentina - energy woes. (a peak oil snapshot?)
Interesting - yes, this probably is a Peak Oil snapshot. The first crises in countries around the world will probably start to manifest themselves during weather extremes.
The attitude of the people is also interesting. "Throwing garbage in the streets" instead of banding together for solutions. That is, unless this is simply what the media chose to expose.
However, I'm inclined to think the worst. Look what happened in New Orleans during that disaster, with all the looting, etc. I guess the bottom line is that disasters bring out the worst, and in some cases the best, in people. _________________ Jim Gagnepain
Make a BOLD statement while using Alternative Transportation
http://www.oilfreeandhappy.com
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 2:24 am Post subject: Re: Argentina - energy woes. (a peak oil snapshot?)
I worked in Argentina in the late 90's and they had some lousy politicians (crooks). The out right robbery of the nation was written right there in the newspapers every week. This did nothing except to make it obvious that something bad would happen sooner or later. Nearly everyone believed that it would fix it self. However when the charade collapsed everyone was poorer except the few "smart" ones.
When your in a boiling pot it is really tough to imagine that you will be boiled, even though the signs are there that it WILL happen. _________________ Men argue, nature acts !
Voltaire
"...In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation."
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 4:49 am Post subject: Re: Argentina - energy woes. (a peak oil snapshot?)
cube wrote:
Argentina has been on the "edge of the long emergency." long before PO was even mentioned.
True
Pretorian wrote:
there are probably hundreds of thousands people who dont pay for electricity in Argentina. Neither they care about running 2kWt space heaters 24/7
and true, I was there in last winter (December 2006) and there were electricity shortgages as well, that time due to the heat, that shows that the electricity grid there is working within very tight limits. Here in he uk for 2 winters in a row it was said that in the event of a very cold winter, it could be some rationing as well, that shows that things are getting very tight everywhere... _________________ Stocking up on popcorn
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:20 am Post subject: Re: Argentina - energy woes. (a peak oil snapshot?)
Argentina also cut off the gas supply to Chile, leaving Santiago in the cold and dark. From this, I think, we can assume that PO is not going to bring out the altruistic and co-operative aspect of nations. It is going to be, dog eat dog - each for his own, on a world wide scale. Obviously, this does not bode well for the future.
I think that this shows that US would be will advised to cease its ridiculous, not winnable and monstrously expense wars, and pay a little attention to what is going to be going on at home. It would be better to just admit that the game is over, and do before it is.
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 5:59 pm Post subject: Re: Argentina - energy woes. (a peak oil snapshot?)
KevO wrote:
Political analyst Rosendo Fraga said Argentina's energy woes date to a 2002 economic crisis, when regulators froze rates for home utility bills just after the peso devalued more than 70 percent against the dollar. Since then, far less revenue has been available for upgrading and building plants and other infrastructure.
5 years ago:
Aide: Mr President! The masses are angry at the proposed increase in electricity rates.
Mr President: It's my job to give the masses what they want. We shall freeze the electricity rates as they are. The people will love me for doing their bidding.
Aide: The electricity companies will not like it.
Mr President: F uck the electricity companies I say.
Today:
Aide: Mr President! The masses are angry at the lack of electricity due to lack of maintainence and lack of infrastructure growth.
Mr President: It's a my to give the masses what they want. We shall propose a bill to triple the electricity rate and invest in maintainence and new electricity plant.
Aide: But Mr President! The masses will demand the bill be thrown out of parliament.
Mr President: That's my plan in the first place. I can then blame the parliamentarians for failing to implement my plan and causing my beloved people to suffer. I shall be the "GOODGUY" and the parliamentarians can be the "BADGUYS". Remember, it's my duty to give the masses what they want.
Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 2:13 am Post subject: Re: Argentina - energy woes. (a peak oil snapshot?)
Well they've peaked in terms of oil production and they've taken the strategy to use NG to sub for oil based fuels in larger numbers than what the US did. As for the Gas production, it doesnt appear that they have had a peak yet but demand is clearly outstripping supply. However it will dpelete sooner rather than later Argentina and its neighbors are going to have to come to terms wit this inevitable fact. _________________ UNplanning the future...
http://unplanning.blogspot.com
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 6:11 am Post subject: Argentina closes major Shell refinery
Quote:
Royal Dutch Shell is to appeal against a shutdown order imposed on its refinery in Buenos Aires. The Argentine government ordered the closure after finding the site lacked the proper environmental permits and impact studies.
Shell defended its environmental record but said it had begun the shutdown. It also warned the move may lead to an energy shortage as the plant provides 15% of Argentina's total refining capacity and 20% of its fuel supplies.
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