Energy

Natural gas

Natural gas knowledge

The reserves

World natural gas reserves total 190,878 billion cubic metres approximately (data refer to 1 January 2011). Such reserves include the currently known fields that can be exploited through the technology available to obtain an economic profit. They are not the actual total underground resources still unknown to mankind or the extraction of which would be too expensive. Nevertheless, they can be a good indication of the rate at which resources are being exploited (and depleted). If the currently known reserves (in 2010, amounted to 3.253 billion cubic meters) are divided by the yearly world consumption of natural gas, at the current exploitation rate reserves will be depleted in approximately 59 years. There are certainly still unknown field which may extend the use of this fossil fuel, however the obvious conclusion is that natural gas, just like oil, is a resource bound to be depleted.
(Source: eni, World Oil & Gas Review 2011)