Authors: Islam Rizvanoghlu
Publish Date: 2015/11/13
Volume: 51, Issue: 3, Pages: 1281-1288
Abstract
This paper extends the study by Gao et al Empir Econ 37153–184 2009 which models the profitmaximizing dynamic oil production from a large oil field in Saudi Arabia by using an engineering model of oil extraction Although it gives an important insight about the dynamics of oil production by examining and comparing different scenarios for exogenous variables it assumes perfect knowledge and foresight about the future However the production decision might not be based on different scenarios but rather on different expectations about the future Therefore we propose to extend the model by incorporating uncertainty arising from a random arrival date of a new backstop technology that will enable the production of a perfect substitute for oil We find that the optimal production path has a different dynamic under this new specification that may explain the less aggressive extraction behavior of the producer before 2000 which was concluded to be economically irrational by Gao et al 2009
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