Natural Gas Transportation Issues

Abstract

The Increasing Role of Natural Gas Gas has arrived in a big way. Or has it? While it already plays a significant role in the current energy picture, all signs point to natural gas as the energy of the future. In 1995, U.S. gas demand growth outpaced that of total energy consumption by almost three to one. Predictions are that U.S. gas consumption will increase to a record 23.48 quadrillion Btu in 1996, a nearly 3% rise from 1995. It is also estimated that Canadian gas consumption will grow at twice the rate of that of the U.S. The rapidly increasing role of natural gas is motivated by its clean-burning characteristics, its relative abundance, and its wide geographical distribution. In response to this increasing demand, many large gas development projects are under way in Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. It is therefore no wonder that several recent articles, reports, and editorials have heralded the dramatic arrival of natural gas on the energy stage. While the current rapid rise in gas consumption is attributable to its increasing popularity in traditional usage, the impending popularization of natural gas vehicles (NGV's) should guarantee such a trend in the future. For many years, natural gas has been touted as competing with oil only as a non vehicular energy fuel. This will change. High-population states in the U.S., such as California and New York, are already converting their mass transportation systems from oil-based to gas-based. This is a growing trend in the urban areas. Europeans are also changing. In a recent, rather bold move, industry officials from 17 countries formed the European Natural Gas Vehicle Assn. The aim of this association is to globalize the use of natural gas as a vehicular fuel. With the popularization of NGV's, diverse and sustained utilization of natural gas is ensured.