About Natural Gas
Natural gas is produced from reservoirs deep beneath the earth's surface. It is a fossil fuel, meaning that it is derived from organic material buried in the earth millions of years ago. The main component of natural gas is methane. The popularity and use of clean natural gas has increased dramatically over the past 50 years as pipeline infrastructure has been installed to deliver it conveniently and economically to millions of residential, commercial and industrial customers in the United States.
Natural Gas is Clean and Economical
Today, natural gas service is available in all 50 states, brought to consumers by more than 1.4 million miles of natural gas pipelines. More homes in the United States are heated with natural gas than any other energy source. More than 59 million American homes use natural gas, and 70 percent of newly built, single-family homes use natural gas. In fact, natural gas is the most economical source for home energy needs, costing one-third as much as electricity. In addition to heating homes, 40 percent of the gas used in the United States is used as a raw material to manufacture a wide variety of products, from paint, to fibers for clothing, to plastics for healthcare, computing and furnishings. Natural gas is also used in 80 percent of new electricity-generating power plants. New plants are choosing natural gas and older plants are converting to it because clean natural gas allows facilities to more easily meet government regulations and improve the environment of neighboring communities.
Why Natural Gas is the Clean Fuel of Choice
Natural gas one of the safest and cleanest fuels available. It emits less pollution than other fossil fuel sources. When natural gas is burned, it produces mostly carbon dioxide and water vapor -- the same substances emitted when humans exhale. Compared with other fossil fuels such as fuel oil and coal, natural gas emits the least amount of carbon dioxide into the air when combusted -- making natural gas the cleanest burning fossil fuel of all. The industry is also subject to substantial federal regulation in the areas of production and distribution, which help ensure it is provided to consumers safely and cleanly.
Natural Gas Supply
The United States consumes about one-third of the world's natural gas output, making it the largest gas-consuming region in the world. Despite vigilant investments by the domestic oil and gas industry, it is unlikely that U.S. reserves of natural gas will be able to reliably supply this important energy source. The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration forecasts that natural gas demand will grow by more than 50 percent by 2025, far outreaching our ability to meet this demand domestically. Because of the lengthy regulatory processes, it is important to move ahead quickly to establish new LNG receiving terminals that can accept gas supplies from gas-rich areas of the world.
Natural Gas Availability
There are huge reserves of natural gas beneath the earth’s surface. The largest reserves of natural gas can be found in Russia, West and North Africa, the Middle East and South America. LNG has been produced domestically and imported in the United States for more than three decades, as domestic production of natural gas declines, imported LNG will become an increasingly important source of clean and reliable energy. Today, the leading importers of LNG are Japan, Korea, France and Spain.
The Future
As a result of recent natural gas supply limitations and the resulting increase in prices, several proposals to install new LNG receiving facilities are under consideration. These facilities will help stabilize the market and allow the United States to augment and diversify its dwindling supply of gas with imports from regions with abundant, but currently stranded, gas reserves. LNG, therefore, is the most promising, medium-term solution to meet the nation’s growing demands for clean natural gas.
|
|
Natural gas is used as a clean energy source
around the globe.
|