Natural gas is a nonrenewable fossil fuel derived from subsurface hydrocarbon gas formations. Heating, cooking, and energy production all rely on natural gas. Fuel for automobiles and polymers may also be made from natural gas.
While burning natural gas still contributes to global warming, it does it more cleanly than other fossil fuels like coal and oil. Carbon dioxide and water vapour are the principal consequences of natural gas oxidation.
Top 10 Natural Gas Producers (Cubic Meters, 2020):
- United States — 914.6 billion
- Russia — 638.5 billion
- Iran — 250.8 billion
- China — 194 billion
- Qatar — 171.3 billion
- Canada — 165.2 billion
- Australia — 142.5 billion
- Saudi Arabia — 112.1 billion
- Norway — 111.5 billion
- Algeria — 81.5 billion
Top 10 Gas Consuming Countries (Cubic Meters, 2020):
- United States — 832 billion
- Russia — 411.1 billion
- China — 330.6 billion
- Iran — 233.1 billion
- Canada — 112.6 billion
- Saudi Arabia — 112.1 billion
- Japan — 104.4 billion
- Germany — 86.5 billion
- Mexico — 86.3 billion
- United Kingdom — 72.5 billion
In 2020, the top 10 countries with the largest natural gas reserves will be determined.
Rank | Country | 2020 Reserves (Cubic Meters) | 2020 Reserves (Cubic Feet) | % of Global Reserves |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Russia | 37.4 trillion | 1320.5 trillion | 19.9% |
2 | Iran | 32.1 trillion | 1133.6 trillion | 17.1% |
3 | Qatar | 24.7 trillion | 871.1 trillion | 13.1% |
4 | Turkmenistan | 13.6 trillion | 480.3 trillion | 7.2% |
5 | United States | 12.6 trillion | 445.6 trillion | 6.7% |
6 | China | 8.4 trillion | 296.6 trillion | 4.5% |
7 | Venezuela | 6.3 trillion | 221.1 trillion | 3.3% |
8 | Saudi Arabia | 6.0 trillion | 212.6 trillion | 3.2% |
9 | United Arab Emirates | 5.9 trillion | 209.7 trillion | 3.2% |
10 | Nigeria | 5.5 trillion | 193.3 trillion | 2.9% |
Russia has the world’s greatest natural gas reserves and is expected to transport 238 billion cubic meters of gas in 2020, more than any other nation. In Russia, the use of natural gas in automobiles is strongly promoted.
Companies provide aftermarket kits, and some cars are built specifically to run on natural gas. By the end of 2020, Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned natural gas business, planned to have 500 filling stations.
The natural gas reserves of Iran are second only to those of Russia in terms of global size. Hydrocarbon fields have been identified in Iran, with an estimated 145 fields and 297 reservoirs so far, with the possibility for many more to be discovered in future explorations.
Iran is one of the few nations capable of delivering substantially bigger volumes of natural gas in the future, even though it is now only using a tiny percentage of its gas reserves.
Qatar holds over 13% of the world’s total natural gas reserves. Oil and gas deposits are concentrated mostly in the North Field offshore.
Qatar commenced drilling extension in North Field and is expected to increase production by 60% to grow its natural gas export and restore its position as the world’s top liquefied natural gas exporter.
The United States imports natural gas from Canada and Mexico through pipelines and its output. The greatest natural gas deposits in the United States are in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, respectively. Natural gas reserves in the United States are sufficient for at least another 60 years.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top crude oil exporter, plans to begin exporting natural gas. Most of Saudi Arabia’s gas reserves are situated in the Persian Gulf, where the country possesses the fifth-largest reserves.
It is anticipated that 70 percent of the kingdom’s electricity will come from natural gas, with the remaining 30 percent coming from renewable sources.
A look at the natural gas’s chemical composition and dispersion.
Methane (70-90 percent) is the primary component of natural gas, followed by ethane, propane, and butane (0-20 percent), with traces of carbon dioxide (0-8 percent), nitrogen (0-5 percent), hydrogen sulphide (0-5 percent), and other inert gases (helium, argon, neon, and xenon) rounding out the composition.
The depth of the Earth’s mantle determines how natural gas is classed. Large fractures and crevices between overlying rock layers are where conventional natural gas is discovered. It is also known as “shale gas” or “tight gas” because it is found in pores inside shale, sandstone, or other kinds of sedimentary rock formations.
Finally, crude oil resources are accompanied by related natural gas. One kind of natural gas that may be discovered in coal beds is coalbed methane.
The following are the 10 nations with the greatest output of natural gas:
- Russia (47,805 billion cubic meters)
- Iran (33,721 billion cubic meters)
- Qatar (24,072 billion cubic meters)
- United States (15,484 billion cubic meters)
- Saudi Arabia (9,200 billion cubic meters)
- Turkmenistan (7,504 billion cubic meters)
- United Arab Emirates (6,091 billion cubic meters)
- Venezuela (5,740 billion cubic meters)
- Nigeria (5,475 billion cubic meters)
- China (5,440 billion cubic meters)
Country | Reserves (EIA) | Reserves (OPEC) | Reserves (BP) |
---|---|---|---|
Russia | 47805 | 50617 | 35000 |
Iran | 33721 | 33810 | 33200 |
Qatar | 24072 | 23861 | 24900 |
United States | 15484 | 9067 | 8700 |
Saudi Arabia | 9200 | 8715 | 8000 |
Turkmenistan | 7504 | 9838 | 19500 |
United Arab Emirates | 6091 | 6091 | 5900 |
Venezuela | 5740 | 5707 | 6400 |
Nigeria | 5475 | 5627 | 5200 |
China | 5440 | 2934 | 5500 |
Algeria | 4504 | 4504 | 4300 |
Iraq | 3820 | 3744 | 3500 |
Indonesia | 2866 | 2866 | 2900 |
Mozambique | 2832 | ||
Kazakhstan | 2407 | 1898 | 1100 |
Egypt | 2186 | 2221 | 1800 |
Canada | 2056 | 2059 | 1900 |
Australia | 1989 | 3173 | 3600 |
Uzbekistan | 1841 | 1564 | 1200 |
Kuwait | 1784 | 1784 | 1700 |
Norway | 1782 | 2314 | 1700 |
Libya | 1505 | 1505 | 1400 |
India | 1290 | 1289 | 1200 |
Malaysia | 1183 | 2909 | 2700 |
Ukraine | 1104 | 304 | 1100 |
Azerbaijan | 991 | 1227 | 1100 |
Netherlands | 801 | 804 | 700 |
Vietnam | 699 | 203 | 600 |
Oman | 651 | 884 | 700 |
Myanmar | 637 | 273 | 1200 |
Pakistan | 589 | 757 | 400 |
Yemen | 479 | 300 | |
Morocco | 474 | 474 | |
Peru | 456 | 513 | 400 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 447 | 433 | 300 |
Brazil | 377 | 325 | 400 |
Argentina | 337 | 381 | 300 |
Angola | 308 | 422 | |
Bolivia | 296 | 310 | 300 |
Mexico | 280 | 146 | 200 |
Brunei | 261 | 252 | |
Syria | 241 | 300 | 300 |
Papua New Guinea | 211 | 200 | |
Thailand | 193 | 180 | 200 |
Bangladesh | 186 | 346 | 200 |
Israel | 176 | 500 | |
United Kingdom | 176 | 269 | 200 |
Cameroon | 135 | 152 | |
Colombia | 114 | 104 | 100 |
Romania | 105 | 105 | 100 |
Philippines | 98.5000 | ||
Chile | 98 | 5.3000 | |
Bahrain | 92 | 200 | |
Republic of the Congo | 90.6000 | 111 | |
Sudan | 85 | ||
Poland | 79.8000 | 56.3000 | 100 |
Cuba | 70.8000 | ||
Tunisia | 65.1000 | ||
Namibia | 62.3000 | ||
Rwanda | 56.6000 | ||
Afghanistan | 49.6000 | ||
Serbia | 48.1000 | ||
Germany | 39.5000 | 39.6000 | 100 |
Italy | 38.1000 | 27.1000 | 100 |
Equatorial Guinea | 36.8000 | 145 | |
New Zealand | 33.7000 | ||
Gabon | 28.2000 | 25.5000 | |
Mauritania | 28.2000 | ||
Ivory Coast | 28.2000 | ||
Croatia | 24.9000 | ||
Ethiopia | 24.9000 | ||
Ghana | 22.7000 | ||
Japan | 20.9000 | ||
Slovakia | 14.2000 | ||
Uganda | 14.2000 | ||
Denmark | 12.9000 | 73.9000 | 100 |
Ecuador | 10.9000 | 5.4000 | |
Ireland | 9.9100 | ||
Georgia | 8.5000 | ||
France | 8.4100 | ||
South Korea | 7.0800 | ||
Hungary | 6.6000 | ||
Austria | 6.5100 | ||
Tanzania | 6.5100 | ||
Taiwan | 6.2300 | ||
Jordan | 6.0300 | ||
Kyrgyzstan | 5.6600 | ||
Bulgaria | 5.6600 | ||
Tajikistan | 5.6600 | ||
Somalia | 5.6600 | ||
Turkey | 5.1000 | ||
Czech Republic | 3.9600 | ||
Belarus | 2.8300 | ||
Spain | 2.5500 | ||
Benin | 1.1300 | ||
Greece | 0.9910 | ||
DR Congo | 0.9910 | ||
Albania | 0.8210 | ||
Barbados | 0.1420 | ||
Armenia | 18 | ||
Moldova | |||
South Africa |