Future of natural gas

The future demand for natural gas in the world will depend in part upon the credibility of long-term supply along with an appreciation of its versatility as a source of energy. Natural gas has the potential to make many countries in the world, including the United States and Canada, self-sufficient in energy. In addition to favorable reserves from conventional sources, there are enormous quantities of recoverable gas in unconventional resources. Such resources include tight gas formations, shales, coal seams, peat, geopressured water, ultra-deep sediments, hydrates, and biomass. New markets for natural gas are expected to expand in several areas; these include transportation, cogeneration, select use in utilities, and fuel cells. An understanding of how gas can replace other fuels along with an appreciation of the incredible resource base leads to a much brighter outlook for the world energy future than we imagined even a few years ago.