BizAims

Nuclear disaster in Japan forced all mankind to change the strategy of using nuclear energy and to seek alternative sources. In this context, natural gas appears to be the most important substitute, the demand will explode in coming decades. What states have the most important gas reserves?

Japan is already the largest buyer of liquefied natural gas. Global demand for gas is estimated to reach 5.1 trillion cubic meters in 2035, from 3.3 TMC today.

Almost 80% of this growth will be generated by countries outside the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), according IEA (International Energy Agency).

In these circumstances, countries with the largest reserves of natural gas will be energy stars in 10-20 years.

Here they are, according BusinessInsider:

1. Russia

Russia has discovered natural gas reserves of 47.57 trillion cubic meters. In other words, Russia has a quarter of global gas reserves.

2. Iran

The next important source is Iran. There are 29.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, or 15.5% of global reserves discovered.

3. Qatar

In Qatar there are 13.3% of total world natural gas, or 25.47 trillion cubic meters.

4. Turkmenistan

The following list is Turkmenistan, where the 3.9% of discovered natural gas reserves worldwide. This state has 7.5 trillion cubic meters.

5. Saudi Arabia

It seems that Saudi Arabia is not only good reserves of oil but also natural gas. So Saudi has 7.46 trillion cubic meters (3.9% of world reserves).

6. USA

The United States is 3.6% of global reserves discovered, that 6.9 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

7. United Arab Emirates

Here are 6 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, or 3.19% of world deposits discovered.

8. Nigeria

In Nigeria is 2.7% of global gas reserves, or 5.2 trillion cubic meters.

9. Venezuela

Latin American countries hold 2.6% of total world natural gas or 4.9 trillion cubic meters.

10. Algeria

Algerian territory is 2.3% of world natural gas, or 4.5 trillion cubic meters.

Natural gas is a gas consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons (primarily ethane). It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.

Remark: Most natural gas is created by two mechanisms: biogenic and thermogenic. Biogenic gas is created by methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, landfills, and shallow sediments. Deeper in the earth, at greater temperature and pressure, thermogenic gas is created from buried organic material.

Before natural gas can be used as a fuel, it must undergo processing to remove almost all materials other than methane. The by-products of that processing include ethane, propane, butanes, pentanes, and higher molecular weight hydrocarbons, elemental sulfur, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and sometimes helium and nitrogen.

Natural gas is often informally referred to as simply gas, especially when compared to other energy sources such as oil or coal.