Unconventional gas’s global potential
Natural gas is increasingly prominent as a global energy source because of its low-carbon footprint. Unconventional resources will play a critical role in meeting demand, write Herve Wilczynski and Muqsit Ashraf*
Sponsored article from Petroleum Economist’s World Energy Atlas, 6th Edition NATURAL gas is at the centre of the debate on energy, climate change and supply security as competing sources of energy stutter. The March 2011 disaster in Japan put nuclear power under a cloud; renewable energy sources, in particular wind and solar, face challenging economics; coal has an uncertain future, given impending climate-change legislation; meanwhile, 2010’s Deepwater Horizon tragedy and volatility across North Africa and the Middle East are weighing heavy on oil’s position in the energy mix. As a result, the energy industry is increasingly convinced that gas may be a destination fuel, or t
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
