Natural gas

Methane piped or shipped as LNG: it heats homes, generates power and supplies the hydrogen for most nitrogen fertiliser.

Natural sources · Fossil stores · No. 14

• Not on a critical list
• HHI 1,039 · unconcentrated

Russian pipeline gas to Europe collapsed from 191 to 51 billion cubic metres in five years, rewiring a continent's energy.

Chart: Illustration: Natural gas

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Gas forms like oil but hotter, above about 150 to 160 degrees C, so deep basins are gassier. It sits alone, alongside oil, or locked in shale that needs fracking.

Three things to know

1. For the same energy, gas takes up about 1,000 times the space of oil, which is why it is piped or liquefied.
2. US LNG exports leapt from under 1 billion cubic metres in 2015 to 115 billion in 2024.
3. Gas power emits about half the CO₂ of coal per kWh, but methane leaking on the way can erase much of that gain.

The journey

1. 1 Gas reservoirConventional, shale, or found with oil
2. 2 ProcessingWater, CO2, sulphur and liquids removed
3. 3 PipelineHigh-pressure transmission across countries
4. 4 LNG tankerChilled to liquid, shrinking 600-fold
5. 5 DistributionRegasified, stored, piped to users

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