How to Throw Away a $175 Million Investment

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How to Throw Away a $175 Million Investment By Keith Kohl | Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012 It seemed like a sure bet last year, a winning scenario for everyone. And depending on its success, Cuba would have finally had the chance to meet its nearly 200,000 bbls/day addiction to crude, maybe even become an oil exporter... Repsol decided to drill for oil in the waters off the northern coast of Cuba. Headlines at the time hailed it as a game-changer for the country's deepwater oil exploration. An offshore Cuban project involving a Spanish energy company using a Chinese-built rig, all paid for by an Italian service group... What could possibly go wrong? Mel Blanc couldn't have written a better script. Advertisement The Secret Catalyst to 532% Gains Everyone wants in on the riches created by the U.S. natural gas revival... Today I'll reveal a little-known catalyst that's the secret to banking huge gains on natural gas. Click here for the free report.  How to Throw Away $175 Million Back in 2004, the USGS reported nearly five billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 9.8 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered gas in the North Cuba Basin of Cuba. In the wake of BP's Macondo incident, everyone was so preoccupied with safety that not much thought was given to other potential showstoppers. Like hitting a dry well. Well, that's exactly what happened... Perhaps the fact that Repsol failed to drill a commercial well the same year the USGS report was released was a bad omen. It's hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy for Castro on this offshore gamble. After all the careful planning, the hype over the billions of barrels within reach, and dreams of oil independence, all Cuba got was disappointment and a $175 million bill for their troubles. A few weeks back, we took a look at how deep today's oil drillers are going to find new supply, which comes at a substantial cost compared to the conventional wells we've enjoyed in the past. Despite the associated safety risks and the massive drilling costs, there's no shortage of gamblers... Time to Ante Up Put Repsol's debacle aside for a minute, because their dry well won't deter the rush to offshore drilling. A conservative decline rate of 6% for the world's oil fields means that more than half a million barrels per day of new production must be found each year. Desperate times call for desperate measures... Mexico falls right into this category. If the country doesn't do something soon, they'll become a net oil importer within the next ten years. The infamous decline of the Cantarell field, which peaked at 2.1 million barrels per day in 2000, is a red flag for what lies ahead for fellow super-giant fields. Advertisement Two Scientists Just Made Everything Obsolete A couple years ago, two Russians unloaded this secret technology in a short paper. What they described is absolutely shocking... Oil, batteries, medicine, and more will never be the same again. In fact, there's too much to describe in this space, so I urge you to take a look at the presentation we recently filmed on this matter.  Now Mexico is turning to the major oil companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron to develop its offshore oil reserves. And nothing is out of bounds this time around. Pemex is about to begin its first foray into ultra-deepwater territory (wells drilled in waters deeper than 6,000 feet) to help offset the steep decline occurring at the Cantarell field. Stocks Ripe for the Picking During the last two years, we've told you about the growing opportunity in several offshore drillers. Take a look at some of our past success with this sector: By 2015, Seadrill is expected to have another 18 offshore rigs in action, many of which are being specifically built to target ultra-deepwater fields. Each ultra-deepwater rig can command a day rate of up to $650,000. In case you're keeping track, we haven't seen day rates this high since they peaked in 2007. The timing of these new rigs is not a coincidence... and the potential here is easy enough for any investor to see. We're seeing longer contracts, higher demand for rigs, and companies paying more than ever for these offshore rigs to drill. Global demand will soon top 90 million barrels per day and relies on failing super-giant fields like Cantarell for one-fifth of total production. There's a reason one of the best oil discoveries in recent times was off the coast of Brazil — and why Russia is planting flags on the Arctic seabed... What do you plan to buy during a market slump? Until next time, Keith Kohl @KeithKohl1 on Twitter A true insider in the energy markets, Keith is one of few financial reporters to have visited the Alberta oil sands. His research has helped thousands of investors capitalize from the rapidly changing face of energy. Keith connects with hundreds of thousands of readers as the Managing Editor of Energy & Capital as well as Investment Director of Angel Publishing's Energy Investor. For years, Keith has been providing in-depth coverage of the Bakken, the Haynesville Shale, and the Marcellus natural gas formations — all ahead of the mainstream media. For more on Keith, go to his editor's page.   Follow Energy and Capital on The Bottom Line Related Articles Presidential Gas Investments Fracking Water Market Invest Without the Risk You Should Be Bullish in the Bakken Recently... 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