Just 3 centuries ago the word “gas” did not exist. It was first introduced in the 17th century by the Dutch scientist Van Helmont. It defined a substance capable of spreading throughout the entire space available to it.

One of the main places for use in the national economy of the country is occupied by flammable natural gases. Natural gas is the best type of fuel. Natural gas reserves on our planet are very large. This allows it to be widely used as fuel and raw material for the chemical industry, which has made it possible to synthesize many chemicals that do not exist in nature (polyethylene).

As a source of energy, gas is one of the main sources on Earth, second only to oil. The main component of natural gas is methane. In addition to methane, the composition may include: ethane, propane, butane, pentane, as well as inert gases.

Industrial deposits of natural gases occur in the form of isolated accumulations, not associated with any other minerals, in the form of gas and oil deposits in which the gas is enriched with liquid low-boiling hydrocarbons.

Natural gases are extracted from the depths of the Earth. After extraction, collection, and accounting, they are processed - harmful components (H 2 S), heavy hydrocarbons (butane, propane) and water vapor are removed. It can be transported over long distances at low cost through a large-diameter gas pipeline, and stored in underground gas storage facilities.

Before the Great Patriotic War, industrial reserves of natural gas were known only in the Caucasus, Trans-Volga region and the North. The study of natural gas reserves was associated only with oil exploration. Industrial reserves of natural gas in 1940 amounted to 15 billion m3.

Then gas deposits were discovered in the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Ukraine, the Volga region, Central Asia, Western Siberia and the Far East. As of January 1, 1976, proven reserves of natural gas amounted to 25.8 trillion m3, of which in the European part of the USSR - 4.2 trillion m3 (16.3%), in the East - 21.6 trillion m3 (83.7%), including - 18.2 trillion m 3 (70.5%) - in Siberia and the Far East, 3.4 trillion m 3 (13.2%) - in Central Asia and in Kazakhstan. As of January 1, 1980, potential natural gas reserves amounted to 80-85 trillion m 3 , explored reserves amounted to 34.3 trillion m 3 . Moreover, reserves increased mainly due to the discovery of deposits in the eastern part of the country - proven reserves there were at a level of about 30 trillion m 3, which amounted to 87.8% of the all-Union total.

Today, Russia has 35% of the world's natural gas reserves, which amounts to more than 48 trillion m 3 . The main areas of natural gas occurrence in Russia and the CIS countries (fields):

I. West Siberian oil and gas province:

Urengoyskoye, Yamburgskoye, Zapolyarnoye, Medvezhye, Nadymskoye;

Pokhromskoye, Igrimskoye - Berezovsky gas-bearing region;

Myldzhinskoye, Luginetskoye, Ust-Silginskoye - Vasyugan gas-bearing region.

II. Volga-Ural oil and gas province:

The most significant is Vuktylskoye, in the Timan-Pechora oil and gas region.

III. Central Asia and Kazakhstan:

The most significant in Central Asia are Gazlinskoye, in the Fergana Valley Kyzylkumskoye, Bayram-Aliyskoye, Darvazinskoye, Achakskoye, Shatlykskoye.

IV. Northern Caucasus and Transcaucasia:

Karadag, Duvanny - Azerbaijan;

Dagestan Lights - Dagestan;

Severo-Stavropolskoye, Pelachiadinskoye - Stavropol Territory;

Leningradskoe, Maikopskoe, Staro-Minskoe, Berezanskoe -

Krasnodar region. Also deposits in Ukraine, Sakhalin and the Far East.

Western Siberia (Urengoyskoye, Yamburgskoye, Zapolyarnoye, Medvezhye) stands out especially in terms of natural gas reserves. Industrial reserves here reach 14 trillion m 3 . The Yamal gas condensate fields (Bovanenkovskoye, Kruzenshternskoye, Kharasaveyskoye and others) are now becoming especially important. On their basis, the Yamal-Europe project is being implemented.

Natural gas production is highly concentrated and is focused on areas with the largest and most profitable deposits. Only five fields - Urengoyskoye, Yamburgskoye, Zapolyarnoye, Medvezhye and Orenburgskoye contain 1/2 of all industrial reserves in Russia. Reserves of Medvezhye are estimated at 1.5 trillion m 3 , and Urengoyskoye - at 5 trillion m 3 .

The next feature is the dynamic location of natural gas production sites, which is explained by the rapid expansion of boundaries by the spread of identified resources, as well as the comparative ease and low cost of involving them in development. In a short period of time, the main centers for natural gas production moved from the Volga region to Ukraine and the North Caucasus. Further territorial shifts are caused by the development of deposits in Western Siberia, Central Asia, the Urals and the North.

After the collapse of the USSR, Russia experienced a decline in natural gas production. The decline is observed mainly in the Northern economic region (8 billion m 3 in 1990, 4 billion m 3 in 1994), in the Urals (43 billion m 3 and 35 billion m 3, respectively), in the West Siberian economic region (576 billion m 3 and 555 billion m 3) and in the North Caucasus (6 and 4 billion m 3). Natural gas production remained at the same level in the Volga (6 billion m3) and Far Eastern economic regions.

Of the republics of the former USSR, the Russian Federation provides all the gas, Turkmenistan is in second place (more than 1/10), followed by Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Of particular importance is the extraction of natural gas on the shelf of the world's oceans. In 1987, 12.2 billion m3 or about 2% of the gas produced in the country was produced from offshore fields. Associated gas production in the same year amounted to 41.9 billion m 3. For many areas, one of the gaseous fuel reserves is the gasification of coal and shale. Underground gasification of coal is carried out in the Donbass (Lisichansk), Kuzbass (Kisilevsk) and the Moscow region (Tula).

By the beginning of 1993, gas reserves in Russia as a whole reached 49.1 trillion cubic meters. In the period 1993-2000, geological exploration work generally confirmed the high assessment of the oil and gas potential of Russia. During this period, about 3 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves were increased. However, due to the reduction in the volume of geological exploration work in recent years, the increase in reserves was ensured mainly by exploration of previously identified deposits. The development of open fields in the European part of Russia and Western Siberia and the creation of a network of gas pipelines made it possible to increase gas production in 1970 to 83, in 1990 to 640.6. The share of gas in the Russian fuel and energy complex gradually increased and in 2000 amounted to 52%.

In 2000, according to preliminary data, 793 billion cubic meters of gas reserves were increased in Russia based on the results of geological exploration and revaluation of previously identified reserves. About 55% of the increase in gas reserves falls on the Kovyktinskoye gas condensate field in the Irkutsk region, 25% on the Chayandinskoye oil and gas condensate field in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The total gas reserves in the first are estimated at 1.7 trillion cubic meters, in the second - 1.2 trillion cubic meters. These fields will become the basis for gas supplies to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, and an increase in gas reserves in them will significantly strengthen the resource base of the projected gas pipelines.

Major successes were achieved in the exploration of new deposits in the Ob Bay of Western Siberia. Here, in 2000, OJSC Gazprom discovered the North Kamennomyskoe and Kamennomyskoe Sea gas fields, the total reserves of which in the Cenomanian sediments by category amount to 29.1 billion m3, confirming the forecasts of the high prospects of the Ob Bay. In the European part, an increase in gas reserves in the amount of 6.9 billion cubic meters was obtained at the Alekseevskoye (Elenovskoye) gas condensate field in the Astrakhan region.

By the beginning of the twentieth century. Russia's proven gas reserves amounted to 46.9 trillion cubic meters, of which 91.9% are concentrated on land and 8.1% on the shelf. The Timan-Pechora region contains 1.4% of Russia's proven gas reserves, the North Caucasus - 0.7%, the Ural-Volga region - 8.2%, Western Siberia - 75.6%, Eastern Siberia - 3.2% in the Far East - 2.8% and on the shelf 8.1%. At depths of up to 1.5 km, 23 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves are concentrated (49.1%), in the depth range of 1.5-3 km there are 16.3 trillion cubic meters (34.7%) and below 3 km - 7.6 trillion m (16.2%). The structure of the component composition is as follows: methane (dry) gases - 61%, ethane-containing gases - 30.3%, hydrogen sulfide-containing gases 8.7%. In the structure of gas production, the share of methane gases was 84.6%, ethane containing 9.2%, hydrogen sulfide containing 6.2%.

The use of natural gas is an important part of the life of modern people. It warms our homes in winter, gives us the opportunity to cook food and bathe in warm water, with its help transport moves and large enterprises operate. There will be no blue fuel - collapse will occur. Despite the huge reserves of gas in the world, it is necessary to use the resource wisely and productively, so that many generations after us can also enjoy the benefits of civilization.

World gas reserves (2014)

No matter how many cubic meters of blue fuel the planet contains in its depths, you need to be careful and economical when extracting and consuming it. The resource is not replenished and is not formed on its own. Therefore, sooner or later it may end.

No one will tell you the exact amount of gas hidden under the layers of the earth. But according to some experts, we can talk about 173 trillion in proven reserves. About 120 trillion more are supposedly hidden far from our eyes, and the hand of man has not yet reached the secret wealth. This blue fuel should only last humanity for 65 years. Where are the largest gas reserves in the world? A table compiled by experts will help us answer this question.

It should be noted that there are countries that have the largest reserves in the world. These are the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Germany and other European countries.

Russia

Our country has the richest deposits of this resource. As shown in the table, the estimated volume of blue fuel ranges from 31 trillion cubic meters to almost 50. In percentage terms, we own from 24 to 40 percent of all existing gas reserves on Earth.

More than half of the promising resources of the Russian Federation are located in the western region of Siberia, more than a quarter - on the shelves of the Kara and Barents seas. Some of the predicted deposits are concentrated in the seas of the Far East and the Arctic, as well as in the Asian part of the country. As for the explored ones, two-thirds are hidden in the depths of the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug. The European part of the Russian Federation accounts for only 10%. These are the largest gas reserves in the world that exist.

Blue fuel is the third largest in the world. In total, it holds 16 trillion cubic meters. is carried out by the Gazprom enterprise, which supplies the product to many European countries.

Iran

Apart from Russia, this Islamic republic also has the largest natural gas reserves in the world. According to general estimates, this is about 16% of the entire resource existing on the planet. The most important deposits are in the northeast and offshore of the Persian Gulf. The state plans to build the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.

The world's proven gas reserves are large, and Iran owns the lion's share of them. Therefore, I am ready to compete with Russia for the supply of resources to Europe. The authorities of the Islamic Republic are going to release blue fuel to the northwest. There are many route options: through Turkey, Syria, Iraq or the Caucasus. Although Iran's Deputy Minister of Oil and Gas Ali Majedi called the first proposed branch the most promising.

Construction of the gas pipeline will be completed in 2019. Delivery will begin then. Türkiye will receive 6 billion cubic meters of blue fuel annually as a transit country, and Europe will receive almost twice as much of the resource.

Qatar

The small state, which not everyone can find on a world map, has very large gas reserves. In the world it is the third largest in the number of hidden cubic meters of blue fuel in the bowels of the earth. This is approximately 24-26 trillion m³. Based on the above figures, the country can easily produce gas for the next 150 years. Here is one of the largest deposits on the planet - the Northern Dome.

Recently, Qatar has been looking for opportunities to export to the European Union. Just like for Iran, the best corridors for this state pass through Syria and Turkey. While negotiating with the leadership of these countries on transit, the Qatari authorities dream of worthy of competing with Russia and even surpassing it in terms of the amount of transported blue fuel. And this is quite real. The country actively produces oil and gas. The world's reserves of these resources are distributed in such a way that Qatar accounts for the lion's share. The value of deposits in this territory is estimated at 10 trillion dollars, which is twice as much as those of Iran and Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Turkmenistan

Gas reserves in countries around the world are arranged in such a way that this particular state occupies fourth place in our ranking. And he has every chance to break into the top three, since in 2015, the country’s President Garbanguly Berdimuhamedov instructed the government to increase resource production to 83 billion cubic meters, and exports to 48.

The country actively supplies blue fuel to China, as well as, paradoxically, to Iran and Russia. Now the construction of a new TAPI gas pipeline is also starting in the state.

Large gas reserves are hidden in the depths of the giant gas and oil field in Turkmenistan - Galkynysh. There are few such places in the world. Its operation began relatively recently - in 2013. The country also has large deposits of the resource near the city of Yolotan, named after this settlement - South Yolotan.

USA

This country primarily has the largest shale gas reserves in the world. It is extracted from and consists largely of methane. The first commercial well was drilled here in 1821 in New York. Since then, the United States has become one of the leaders in the extraction of this resource on the planet.

The largest gas reserves in the United States are in the Gulf of Mexico. These wells are: Red Hawk, discovered in 2002, as well as Ticonderoga and Tender Horse, both of which contain 20 billion cubic meters of gas. At the same time, Point Thompson, which is part of the oil and gas basin of northern Alaska, has remained a real giant since 1965. Here the bowels of the earth contain 3 trillion m³. The country is building a gas pipeline to transport the resource. It will stretch from Point Thompson to the very Pacific coast, and from there to the heart of America - Washington.

Experts say the field could supply 7% of the United States' annual demand. It is expected that construction of the gas pipeline will be completed in 2018, at which time its full operation will begin.

Saudi Arabia

More than a quarter of proven oil reserves are located here. In total, this is about 260 billion barrels. This country is also the main regulator of oil prices in the world and the leader of OPEC.

As for gas, over the next 10 years the country will double its production. No export supplies are expected; the resource will only meet the internal needs of the state. Currently, the largest gas field is Tukhman, located in the center of the Rub al-Khali desert. The initial reserve here is estimated at 1 billion cubic meters. The resource lies at a depth of five kilometers.

Although Saudi Arabia is one of the ten gas giants of the world, it still “feeds” itself mainly from oil. It is she who owns the largest oil field in the world - Gavar. 65% of the country's total oil is produced here. For example, in 2006, 6.5% of world oil production was brought to the surface in Gavar alone. There are natural deposits here, millions of m³ are mined every day.

UAE

214 trillion cubic meters are reliable gas reserves. In the world, the Emirates hold a leading position in this area: 4% of all global resource deposits. It is mainly mined in Abu Dhabi. The company of the same name controls 90 percent of the state’s gas reserves.

According to experts, the UAE also ranks 5th in the world in oil sales. The country is a member of OPEC; its oil reserves will last more than 100 years. 66 billion barrels - this is exactly how much the bowels of this fertile Arab land contain. The industry is also controlled by the national company Abu Dhabi.

The United Arab Emirates is the richest country in the world and a leading economic center. From 1970 to the present day it has increased 20 times. The main trading partners are: Italy, Germany, Great Britain, South Korea and Japan. The UAE is also an interesting country. She chose absolute neutrality, both in relation to the West and her native East.

Venezuela

Natural gas reserves in the world are large, and the Bolivarian Republic owns part of them. It takes an honorable eighth place in our ranking of gas giants. Of the 146 trillion cubic pounds, a third is classified as "possible." The state is taking part in the development of blue fuel deposits on the shelf together with companies from Russia, China, Algeria and Malaysia.

In the western hemisphere of the planet, it is in Venezuela that the largest oil reserves are concentrated - about 75-80 billion barrels. Although the government claims that these figures have been reduced several times. Be that as it may, in Latin America this is the No. 1 state in the production of black gold. It is a member of OPEC and one of the most powerful oil exporters on the planet.

Venezuela is not only a well-known leading exporter of important natural resources, but also claims to take first place in the ranking of the most developed and successful countries in Latin America. And this despite all its conflicts with the United States, the bordering Antilles and neighboring Colombia.

Nigeria

Gas reserves across the countries of the world were distributed in such a way that two African states also made it into the TOP 10 largest gas empires. In ninth place we have Nigeria - the No. 1 power on the “dark” continent in terms of proven reserves of blue fuel. About 5 trillion cubic meters of resource are hidden in the bowels of the earth. In terms of its exports, Nigeria ranks 7th in the world, which is also a good result.

The land also has oil deposits. It ranks second after Libya in the number of proven reserves of valuable barrels. But in terms of volumes of black gold exports in Africa, it has no equal. Nigeria actively sells the resource to Western Europe, the USA, India and Brazil. She is an honorary member of OPEC.

Algeria

The largest gas reserves in the world are located in the depths of this African land. And although the state is only 10th in the list of countries with large deposits of blue fuel, it is 5th in the ranking of the most productive and active producers of this resource. Experts cite the figure of 4.5 trillion m³ - these are proven gas reserves. There are few states in the world that can boast of such results.

Most of the blue fuel deposits in Algeria are gas free from oil caps, or that which is found in gas fields. The rest of the resource (about 15%) is dissolved in oil, namely in the main Hassi Messaoud black gold deposit. The largest gas field is Hassi-Rmel, other known points of resource extraction are Nezla, Gurd-Nus and Wend-Numer. From 1990 to the present day, proven reserves of blue fuel in Algeria have doubled, which turned out to be the result of active geological work.

As we can see, there are enough gas reserves on the planet. But this does not relieve us of responsibility for their economical and correct use for the benefit of subsequent generations.

Iran, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Algeria, Venezuela, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Turkmenistan. What do this group of countries have in common? The answer is simple: huge proven reserves of minerals, the income from which generously fills the national budgets of these states, “blue gold” - natural gas.

World gas empires. Countries with significant natural gas reserves (EIA \ FranchExpert © 2012):

No. 1. Russian Federation .

In the post-Soviet space, Russia (Urengoy field) and Turkmenistan have huge reserves of natural gas, and they also have significant natural gas fields of their own: Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan (Karachaganak field).

Russia's share in the global gas production market is more than 18% (1st place), its share of the world's proven natural gas reserves is 25% (of which 95% is in the Arctic). In terms of oil reserves, Russia's position is more modest: 5.3% of world oil reserves (8th place on the planet, of which 60% are in the Arctic) .

The Urengoy natural gas field is the 3rd largest in the world (total geological reserves - 16 trillion m³ of natural gas).
Location: Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen Region of the Russian Federation.
Production is carried out by Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy LLC (a 100% subsidiary of Gazprom OJSC).

No. 2. Islamic Republic of Iran .

Islamic Republic of Iran :

More than 16% of the world's natural gas reserves. The main fields are located on the shelf of the Persian Gulf and in the northeast of the country;
It is planned to build the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline by the end of 2014. Projects suspended in 2012 (under pressure from the United States and its allies in Europe): gas supplies through Ukraine to the EU, extension of the existing gas pipeline (gas supplies to Armenia and Azerbaijan) through Turkey to Greece;
more than 10% of the world's proven oil reserves. 2nd place in oil production among OPEC countries. The largest oil supplier to China;
Iran is Asia's largest economy. In terms of GDP volume it is second only to China, Japan, India, Turkey, Indonesia and South Korea;
There are restrictions on human rights, primarily related to religion. For example, in the government system there is a special body - the Council of Guardians of the Constitution, which prohibits non-Muslims from holding senior government positions, and members of parliament from drafting bills that contradict Sharia;
According to the Iranian Constitution (Article 13), in addition to Islam, only 3 religions are recognized: Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Iran ranks second in the world (after China) in the number of executions for serious crimes.

No. 3. Qatar .

Qatar - the pearl of the Persian Gulf :

3rd place in the world in natural gas reserves, 6th largest exporter of natural gas in the world;
major exporter of oil and petroleum products (OPEC member);
country number 1 in the world in terms of “average per capita income” \ richest state in the world;
form of government - absolute monarchy;
Qatari satellite television - Al Jazeera - is the leading media outlet in the Middle East.

No. 4. Saudi Arabia .

More than 25% of proven oil reserves (more than 260 billion barrels), 4th place in natural gas reserves on Earth;
leader of OPEC. The main regulator of world oil prices;
active defender and lobbyist for the interests of Islam around the world. “The Land of Two Mosques” (the two main holy cities of the Islamic world, Mecca and Medina);
absolute theocratic monarchy, welfare state;
is among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of funding for the armed forces;
a key US ally in the Middle East and, at the same time, the homeland of the former leader of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and the Vatican were established only in 2007;
The law prohibits oral or written discussions of the existing political system, the use and trade of alcohol and drugs. criminal law is based on Sharia; for theft - cutting off the hand, for extramarital sexual relations the punishment is lashing, for murder, blasphemy and “witchcraft” (predicting the future, fortune telling) - the death penalty.

No. 5. Turkmenistan .

Turkmenistan is the 5th country in the world in terms of natural gas reserves (according to some estimates - 4th). Has the 2nd largest gas field in the world .

Briefly about Turkmenistan:

Huge reserves of natural gas (15-20 trillion cubic meters) and oil (1.5-2.0 billion tons) have turned Turkmenistan into an important exporter of fuel resources. Main buyers: Ukraine, Poland, Hungary;
the power of the current President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, is absolute. Turkmenistan maintains one of the most repressive and authoritarian regimes in the world. © Human Rights Watch;
According to the Press Freedom Index, Turkmenistan is annually at the bottom of the list. © Reporters Without Borders

No. 6. United Arab Emirates .

6th place in the world in terms of proven gas reserves (about 4% of world reserves \ proven natural gas reserves - more than 214 trillion cubic feet). The main places for natural gas production are the emirate of Abu Dhabi: Abu al-Bukhush, Bab, Bu Hasa, Umm Shaif, Zakum. The Abu Dhabi National Company controls more than 90% of the country's gas reserves;
5th place in reliable oil reserves in the Middle East (No. 1 - Saudi Arabia, No. 2 - Iran, No. 3 - Iraq, No. 4 - Kuwait, No. 5 - Qatar, No. 6 - Oman);
8 - 10% (according to various estimates) of world oil reserves (66 billion barrels, most of it in the emirate of Abu Dhabi). The UAE is a member of OPEC and at the current level of oil production, the UAE's oil reserves will last for more than 100 years! ABU Dhabi National Company (ADNOC) controls the country's oil industry. Main oil fields: the emirate of Abu Dhabi (Asab, Bab, Bu Hasa, Al-Zakum), the emirate of Dubai (Fallah, Fateh, Margham, Rashid), the emirate of Sharjah ("Mubarak" - not far from Abu Musa Island);
the leading economic center of the Middle East and the richest state on the planet. GDP per capita since the 70s. 20th century has grown more than 20 times! Main trading partners: Japan, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, South Korea. Fish consumption is one of the highest in the world - 140 kg/year per capita;
The UAE is part of the group of non-aligned countries and takes a position of “absolute neutrality” (maintaining “equidistance” from the West and the East).

No. 7. Nigeria .

Nigeria :

1st place in Africa in terms of proven natural gas reserves (more than 5 trillion cubic meters), 7th place in the world in terms of export volumes;
1st place in Africa in terms of oil exports (before the collapse of the state in 2011, Libya occupied 1st place), 2nd place in Africa in proven oil reserves (after Libya);
Nigeria is one of the main suppliers of oil to Western Europe and an important exporter of crude oil to the United States, Brazil and India. Member of OPEC;
in terms of population - 7th place in the world and No. 1 in Africa: more than 162 million people;
in 2nd place in the world in terms of the number of feature films produced (lower in number than India, but ahead of the USA).

2012 © "EIA" Energy Information Administration. Reference to the source for a reprint of materials required

Natural gas production by countries of the world (source - free encyclopedia "Wikipedia" 2006-2011, including using CIA (USA) estimates published in The World Factbook):

We present to your attention a list of states that produce and export natural gas in huge quantities.
10. Algeria. Gas reserves: 4.5 trillion cubic meters

Algeria ranks 10th in world gas production. The amount of gas in this North African country is 2.5% of world reserves. And half of this number is mined at the Hassi R’Mei deposit, located in the southeast of the country. Gas producing companies such as Total and Shell have been operating in this country for decades. Three plants with 15 production lines are engaged in gas production. Two of them are located in the city of Arzev and one in the city of Skikda.

9. Nigeria. Gas reserves: 5.1 trillion cubic meters

This country ranks first in gas production on the African continent. Also, it is a member of OPEC. And this despite the fact that Nigeria has a high level of corruption, political instability, a weak economy and poorly developed infrastructure. Nigeria is a very gas-dependent country, with profits from its exports accounting for 95% of its foreign exchange earnings. In 2010, Nigeria became a leading exporter of liquefied natural gas. After all, the volume of this exported natural resource is 21.9 million tons.

8. Venezuela. Gas reserves: 5.6 trillion cubic meters

This country's gas reserves account for 2.9% of the world's. But most of them are gas associated with oil. Most of the deposits are located in Norte De Pario (an area north of Trinidad and Tobago). But the gas sector in Venezuela is not very developed, which is holding back its development. The main gas pipelines are owned by PDVSA GAS.

7. UAE. Gas reserves: 6.1 trillion cubic meters

Most of this country's gas reserves are located in its capital, Dubai. Oil fields are located there and there is a Khuff gas reserve. In 1977, the first liquefied gas plant was built in the UAE by ADGAS. Currently, it is engaged in processing natural gas from all oil fields of the country.

6. Saudi Arabia. Gas reserves: 8.2 trillion cubic meters

All oil and gas fields belong to the only state-owned company in the country - Saudi Aramco. It is a monopolist in this area. In total, there are more than 70 deposits in Saudi Arabia, located in 8 regions of the country. Currently, gas production is accelerating. This is due to economic diversification. The country, which is one of the leaders in the production of this natural resource, plans to increase gas supply to the world market. As for the mixed oil and gas fields, found back in the late 20th century, they are located in the oil fields of Kirkuk. Pure deposits, constituting 1/5 of the country's total reserves, are located in the Gavar oil field.

5. USA. Gas reserves: 9.8 trillion cubic meters

More than half of this country's gas reserves are located in just four states: Texas, Colorado, Wyoming and Oklahoma. Also, about 5% of mineral resources are taken from the continental shelf, which is under the jurisdiction of the US government. The main gas producing companies in the country, which occupies the middle of the top gas production leaders, are: BP, ExxonMobil.

4. Turkmenistan. Gas reserves: 17.5 trillion cubic meters

Natural gas is an integral part of the economy of Turkmenistan, which is one of the leaders in the production of this mineral. After all, most of the country’s reserves are spent on its export. All gas is produced in one field - Galkynysh. According to experts, it contains more than 25 trillion cubic meters. Several years ago, plans included a project to build the Nabucco pipe. But he died due to the fault of the country's government. And high hopes were placed on him.

3. Qatar. Gas reserves: 24.5 trillion cubic meters

All liquefied gas production plants are located in one city in Qatar - Ras Laffan. The first plant was built in 1996, and gas supplies began a year later. Almost 85% of the total gas produced is supplied to European, Asian and North American markets. This became possible thanks to the favorable geographical location of the country, which took bronze in the ranking of leading states in gas production.

2. Russia. Gas reserves: 32.6 trillion cubic meters

Gas export is the most important part of the economy of Russia - the leader in production in this area. The natural resource is mined in Western Siberia (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug), the Urals, the Lower Volga region and the North Caucasus. Gas reserves account for more than 60% of all Russian resources. The natural resource is transported through the Unified Gas Supply System and a network of gas pipelines more than 140 thousand km long. The gas producer is the monopolist Gazprom, which provides 95% of the natural resource from all production in the country.

1. Iran. Gas reserves: 34 trillion cubic meters

All fields are located in the north of the country, which ranks first in gas production in the world, and on the shelf near the Persian Gulf. Foreign (French, Chinese, Belarusian) investors who came to the country back in the late 90s are working on the extraction of natural resources. True, they stopped their activities for a time when sanctions were introduced against Iran, but it seems that they can now return to the market again. The country's authorities plan to increase gas production to 1 billion cubic meters per day by 2017. Iran's total reserves account for 18% of the world's reserves.

NATURAL GAS RESERVES IN THE WORLD

Parameter name	Meaning
Article topic:	NATURAL GAS RESERVES IN THE WORLD
Rubric (thematic category)	Sport

World proven reserves natural gas account for 208,4 trillion m3, and they should be enough for more than 63 year.

World potential reserves natural gas is approximately 290 trillion m 3.

According to expert estimates for 2011 104 Countries around the world have natural gas reserves. 15 leading countries:

It ranks first in the world in terms of proven natural gas reserves. Russia, whose reserves grew in 2011. by 0.45%, and amount to 47,5 trillion m3, or 21,4% global reserves.

In second place - Iran With 29,6 trillion m3 ( 15,9% ), on the third - Qatar from 25.3 trillion m 3 ( 12% ).

The top ten leading countries are Saudi Arabia, USA, Turkmenistan with approximately equal natural gas reserves (7.8; 7.7; 7.5 trillion m3), UAE(6.4 trillion m3), Nigeria (5,2), Venezuela (5,0) , Algeria (4,5).

If we talk about regions as a whole, the most significant is the concentration of gas in countries Near and Middle East, where more than 70 trillion m 3 of this raw material. The resources are especially large in Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iraq.

In countries Asia-Pacific leaders in natural gas reserves are Australia(3.1 trillion m3), China(3.03 trillion m3), Indonesia(3.01 trillion m3).

European Union has reserves 2,2 trillion m3. The leader among European countries is Norway with reserves of 2.0 trillion m3.

Ten largest gas fields in the world, billion m 3

The largest gas field - South Pars/North- is located in the territorial waters of Qatar and Iran. The gas reserves of this field are estimated at 13.4 trillion m3.

Ranked second in the world - Urengoy oil and gas condensate field– located in Russia, with total geological reserves of 16 trillion m3 and residual reserves of 10.2 trillion m3.

In third place- the youngest deposit of the top ten Haynesville- discovered in the USA in 2008, its reserves amount to 7 trillion m3.

In addition to traditional natural gas reserves, there are huge reserves of natural gas in the world unconventional gas sources– coal bed methane, gas in bituminous shale (shale gas), gas in tight sandstones, gas hydrates.

Significant natural gas resources are concentrated in coal seams (coalbed methane).

Estimation of geological resources of coal bed methane, trillion m³:

Russia - 78

Australia - 22

Germany - 16

Ukraine - 8

Kazakhstan - 8

Poland - 3

TOTAL in the world: 240 trillion m3

Commercial production of coalbed methane began in the United States in the early 1980s.

Today the leaders in the production of methane from coal seams are USA. At the same time, methane extraction from coal deposits is carried out Australia, Canada, China and Colombia.

Russia has adopted the Kuzbass Methane program. Kuzbass can produce about 20 billion m³ of methane annually. Methane reserves in Kuzbass are estimated at 13 trillion m³. In 2010, the first field for the extraction of methane gas from the coal seams of the Kuzbass basin was launched on the Taldinskaya area.

Shale natural gas- natural gas produced from oil shale, which consists primarily of methane.

The world's shale gas reserves are 256 trillion m3.

Leading countries in shale natural gas reserves:

China	36.7 trillion cubic meters
USA	24.4 trillion cubic meters
Argentina	21.9 trillion cubic meters
Mexico	19.3 trillion cubic meters
South Africa	13.7 trillion cubic meters
Australia	11.2 trillion cubic meters
Canada	10.9 trillion cubic meters
Libya	8.2 trillion cubic meters
Algeria	6.5 trillion cubic meters
Brazil	6.4 trillion cubic meters
Poland	5.3 trillion cubic meters
France	5.1 trillion cubic meters
Norway	2.4 trillion cubic meters
Chile	1.8 trillion cubic meters
India	1.8 trillion cubic meters
Paraguay	1.8 trillion cubic meters
Pakistan	1.4 trillion cubic meters
Bolivia	1.4 trillion cubic meters
Ukraine	1.2 trillion cubic meters
Sweden	1.2 trillion cubic meters

Large-scale industrial production of shale gas was started by Devon Energy in the USA in the early 2000s at the Barnett Shale field, which began working in this field in 2002. drilled a horizontal well for the first time. Thanks to a sharp increase in its production, called the “gas revolution” in the media, in 2009 the United States became the world leader in gas production (745.3 billion cubic meters), with more than 40% coming from unconventional sources (coalbed methane and shale gas).

Gas hydrates are so-called solid solutions of methane in ice - crystalline compounds in which n water molecules are held around a gas with molecular weight M through hydrogen bonds. Taking into account the dependence of thermobaric conditions n = 6-17. Not only individual, but also mixed gas hydrates are known (with C 1 -C 6, C0 2, N 2). One volume of water binds 70-210 volumes of gas.

Gas hydrate deposits have been discovered in Russia, the USA, Canada, Japan, India, Panama, Brazil, Chile, West Africa, and New Zealand. And their reserves, according to the most conservative estimates, are not inferior to those of “classical” gas fields. And some experts believe that they exceed them by almost 20 thousand times, reaching the astronomical figure of 7.6 quintillion (quintillion is 10 to the eighteenth power) cubic meters. That is, if desired, literally every country will be able to provide itself with gas independently.

Today on Earth more than 220 gas hydrate deposits, which are available to most countries.

The largest of the gas hydrate deposits on Earth:

-Deep-sea depression off the coast of Costa Rica- one of the largest deposits in the world. Depth of occurrence - 3100-3400 m.

-Central American deep sea trench(Guatemala). Pacific Ocean. The depth of occurrence of hydrates is 2100-2700 m.

- Mexican area Central American deep-sea trench. Pacific Ocean. There are three deposits here: Mexico-1 (depth - 1950 m), Mexico-2 (3100 m) and Mexico-3 (2200 m).

- California fault(USA). Pacific Ocean. Rich deposits of gas hydrates have been discovered, which are formed with the help of deep-sea “asphalt volcanoes”, which spew not only oil, but also methane into the water.

- Pacific Trench, Oregon (USA). Pacific Ocean. Depth of occurrence - 2400 m.

-Sakhalin shelf, Sea of ​​Okhotsk (Russia). In the area of ​​the eastern coast of the island - in deep faults - the largest explored reserves of gas hydrates are concentrated - more than 50 deposits.

- Kuril ridge, Sea of ​​Okhotsk (Russia). The first searches for hydrate-containing deposits in the USSR were carried out here. To date, gas hydrate resources in this area of ​​the Sea of ​​Okhotsk are estimated at 87 trillion cubic meters. Depth of occurrence - 3500 m.

- Coast of Japan. By 2004, geophysicists found more than 18 deposits off the coast of the Japanese Islands.

- Nankai Trough in the Sea of ​​Japan - one of the very first explored gas hydrate deposits in the world, located at a depth of over 600 m. Predicted gas reserves in hydrates range from 4 to 20 trillion cubic meters.

-Deep Sea Peruvian Trench, Pacific Ocean. Here, gas hydrates are located at a depth of over 6000 m, the length of the field exceeds 1500 km.

- Gulf of Mexico, coast of Texas and Louisiana (USA). Atlantic Ocean. Gas hydrate reserves have been explored in the oil-bearing areas of the Green Canyon, Mississippi Submarine Canyon and Flower Garden Banks National Park - this is a unique chain of reefs.

-Blake Submarine Plateau, Atlantic Ocean. One of the largest deposits in the Atlantic. Depth of occurrence - 400 m, thickness of the gas-bearing layer - 200 m.

-Mud underwater volcano Hakon Mosby(Norway). Arctic Ocean. Gas hydrates, discovered back in 1990, lie at a depth of 250-10-00 m.

-Niger Delta shelf(Nigeria) in the Atlantic Ocean is the richest oil region in Africa. It is also called the country of oil rivers.

- Black Sea(Russia). There are about 15 gas hydrate deposits at the bottom of the Black Sea. The predicted volume is 20-25 trillion cubic meters.

- Caspian Sea(Russia). Here, gas hydrate deposits were discovered at the smallest depth of 300-480 m.

- Lake Baikal(Russia). The existence of gas hydrates at the bottom of Lake Baikal has been known for a long time based on indirect data. In 2001, during the implementation of the international project “Baikal-drilling,” gas hydrates were first discovered in the surface layer of bottom sediments, and last year the largest gas hydrate fields were found in the area of ​​the underwater mud volcano of St. Petersburg.

- Anaximander Seamounts, Mediterranean Sea. Gas hydrates occur at a depth of 0.3-1.5 km. As scientists have established, the deposits resemble a layer cake of hydrates and ash sediments of volcanic origin, which complicates the development of the deposit.

-Coast of the Kula region(Türkiye), Mediterranean Sea. Here gas hydrates are formed with the participation of numerous mud volcanoes.

-Mackenzie Delta region(Canada), Arctic Ocean. The northernmost of all explored deposits.

98% of gas hydrate reserves are dispersed in the waters of the World Ocean at a depth of up to 700 m in bottom sedimentary rocks, and only 2% in the coastal continental zone.

Despite their colossal resources, the extraction of gas hydrate deposits has still practically not begun.

For the first time, Canadian and Japanese scientists were able to achieve sustainable gas release from a gas hydrate deposit.. Behind the scientific formulation lies a revolutionary event: in fact, we are talking about the emergence of a new technology for industrial gas production.

The well was drilled in a layer of permafrost in the far north of Canada, on the shores of the Beaufort Sea, ITAR-TASS reports with reference to the Canadian news agency Postmedia News. The experiment cost 48 million Canadian dollars (47.4 million US dollars). And although a stable gas output was only maintained for six days, we can already say that this is a real breakthrough in the field of “blue fuel” production.

In the light of the small gas revolution that took place in Canada, they look completely different and battles surrounding the presence of the world's largest countries in the Arctic and Antarctic, where huge reserves of gas hydrates are concentrated.

A working well is a harbinger of the fact that we need to hurry up with the development of our Arctic coast. Because the struggle for gas hydrate deposits in the Arctic and Antarctic will now definitely intensify, Vagif Kerimov is sure.

Scientists are widely discussing the hypothesis of the possible release of hydrated methane as temperatures rise due to global warming. The fact is that methane is a greenhouse gas, and its release will cause further warming and, accordingly, even greater release of methane. It will no longer be possible to stop this process, like a bullet fired from a gun. The result is sudden, self-reinforcing global warming in less than a human lifetime. For this reason, predictions of the future Armageddon are also associated with gas hydrates. Perhaps such unexpected melting of gas hydrates led to sharp changes in the ocean and atmosphere in the Earth’s past.

Most notable among these events is the mass “Permian extinction” about 251 million years ago. Then, perhaps, in just a few years, 96% of all marine species, 70% of terrestrial vertebrates, 83% of insect species and even many microorganisms disappeared forever from the face of our planet.

However, many scientists do not share the theory about the greenhouse nature of atmospheric warming. But no one doubts that if we learn to extract hydrated methane, this will provide humanity with energy for hundreds of years to come.

Gas hydrates look like real ice. But the ice is very unusual. It consists almost entirely of gas - mainly methane with small admixtures of ethane and propane. That is, the composition is identical to “ordinary” natural gas. It’s just that it’s packaged extremely compactly. From one cubic meter of gas hydrates, up to 200 cubic meters of gas are obtained. For this reason, the reserves of gas in hydrates in the world are so huge. That is why they burn so well - with a clean, transparent, slightly bluish flame.

Strictly speaking, gas hydrates are solid solutions of methane or other gas (for example, carbon dioxide) in water. Gas hydrates can exist in large quantities only at high pressures and low temperatures, which occurs at the bottom of the oceans and in the permafrost zone. When the pressure decreases, methane is released from the gas hydrate - similar to how gas bubbles are released when uncorking a bottle of sparkling water. Well, gas hydrates are like frozen soda.

The problem is essentially that until now there is no reliable and economically feasible technology for methane production from hydrates. For example, they tried to melt them with a hot solution or create a vacuum in the well. But these methods have so far been ineffective.

NATURAL GAS RESERVES IN THE WORLD - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "NATURAL GAS RESERVES IN THE WORLD" 2017, 2018.