Natural gas is experiencing a period of strong growth. Increased resource estimates, and improvements in production and transport technologies are allowing it to fill an expanding role in energy supply, and in important demand sectors such as electricity generation. In the USA, a rapid increase in production from ‘unconventional’ sources (e.g. shale) has resulted in an abundance of low-priced natural gas, encouraging a shift from coal to gas in power generation. Since natural gas is a fuel with inherently lower carbon content than coal, that shift has contributed to a significant decline in USA greenhouse gas emissions. Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas systems is one of the many, real and perceived, factors concerning natural gas development and the industry’s social licence to operate. A wealth of recent data on GHG emissions from contemporary natural gas systems is now emerging. This information will facilitate both the accurate comparison of alternative technologies and the management of emissions so that gas resources can be developed prudently, to displace other, more carbon emission-intensive options and contribute to economic growth. This paper draws on material from an IPIECA workshop in 2012, and focuses on the expanding role of natural gas, the new resource base estimates, its GHG footprint compared to other energy sources, and projected demands from different sectors.
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