Natural Gas Reserves
Natural gas
As per the Ministry of Petroleum, Government of India, India has 1,437 billion cubic
metres (50.7×1012 cu ft) of confirmed natural gas reserves as of April 2010. A huge
mass of India's natural gas production comes from the western offshore regions,
particularly the Mumbai High complex. The onshore fields in Assam, tripura, Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat states are also major producers of natural gas. As
per EIA data, India produced 996 billion cubic feet (2.82×10 10 m3) of natural gas in
2004. India imports small amounts of natural gas. In 2004, India consumed about
1,089×109 cu ft (3.08×1010 m3) of natural gas, the first year in which the country
showed net natural gas imports. During 2004, India imported 93×10 9 cu ft (2.6×109
m3) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar.
As in the oil sector, India's state-owned companies account for the bulk of natural
gas production. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Oil India Limited. are the
leading companies with respect to production volume, while some foreign companies
take part in upstream developments in joint-ventures and production sharing
contracts. Reliance Industries, a privately owned Indian company, also has a role in
the natural gas sector as a result of a large natural gas find in 2002 in the Krishna
Godavari basin.
The Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) holds an effective control on natural gas
transmission and allocation activities. In December 2006, the Minister of Petroleum
and Natural Gas issued a new policy that allows foreign investors, private domestic
companies, and Government oil companies to hold up to 100% equity stakes in
pipeline projects. While GAIL's domination in natural gas transmission and allocation
is not ensured by statute, it will continue to be the leading player in the sector
because of its existing natural gas infrastructure.
Natural gas can be contained in a variety of different types of deposits that must be accessed
if the natural gas is to be used. According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum
Producers (CAPP), Canada has a natural gas reserve of between 700 and 1,300 trillion cubic
feet. While a little over 15% of that natural gas has been recovered, the rest is contained in
four types of deposits: conventional, and the so called unconventional deposits: Shale gas
deposit, Tight gas deposit, and coal bed methane.
Natural gas has been extracted from conventional natural gas deposits for a long time, the
unconventional resources are resources that are being extracted using substantially new
techniques. Please see conventional vs unconventional resources.
Conventional natural gas deposits
Conventional resources are "pockets" of gas contained within relatively porous rock, and they
are the most easily mined. While hydraulic fracturing has allowed for more expansive access
to these deposits, they can be mined without its use.
Coal bed methane
Coal bed methane is natural gas consisting mostly of methane, which is trapped inside coal
seams. This is extracted while the coal is being mined, as diminishing the pressure in the coal
seam allows the gas to flow out of the seam and into a wellbore, where it is extracted.
Shale gas
Shale gas is natural gas found inside a fine-grained sedimentary rock called shale. Shale is
porous (there are lots of tiny spaces inside it), but it is non-permeable, which means the gas
cannot flow through it. Shale gas requires the use of hydraulic fracturing for extraction.
Tight gas
Tight gas is similar to shale gas in that it is trapped inside a porous, non-permeable reservoir
rock. The only differentiation between the two is that the term tight gas includes natural gas
trapped inside reservoir rocks that are not shale.
Future of the Natural Gas Industry
Global gas demand is expected to rise by 3.6% in 2021 before easing to an average growth
rate of 1.7% over the following three years, according to the IEA’s latest quarterly Gas
Market Report, which also provides a new medium-term forecast. By 2024, demand is
forecast to be up 7% from 2019’s pre-Covid levels.
Despite slower growth in the coming years, gas demand by 2024 is trending higher than the
trajectories in the IEA’s climate-driven scenarios, notably the pathway set out in the recent
Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050. To get on track for net-zero emissions by 2050, new measures
are needed to promote further fuel substitution and efficiency gains. This is especially the
case in more mature markets, where much of the potential for switching from coal or oil to
gas has already been realized.
The new report examines how the gas industry can reduce its emissions footprint and align
with net-zero emissions objectives. Key areas for action include continuing to reduce the
intensity of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions all along the value chain, supporting the
development of low-carbon gases, and developing carbon management solutions to minimise
emissions from combustion. In particular, reducing methane emissions is an efficient way –
in terms of both time and cost – of narrowing the industry’s footprint.
Suggested Reading BOOKS
● Negi B.S., “LNG-An Indian Scenario”, Technology Publications, 2008.
Purchase the book.
● B. Guo and A. Ghalambor., ‘Natural Gas Engineering Handbook’, Gulf
Publishing Company, 2005.Download the book.
● D.L. Katz and R.L. Lee., ‘Natural Gas Engineering’, McGraw_Hill,
1990.Download the book.
● G. G. Nasr & N. E. Connor, “Natural Gas Engineering and Safety Challenges”,
Springer, 2014. Download the book.
Reference Link
● https://www.worldometers.info/gas/#:~:text=There%20are
%206%2C923%20trillion%20cubic,levels%20and%20excluding
%20unproven%20reserves).
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
List_of_countries_by_natural_gas_proven_reserves
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Natural_resources_of_India#Natural_gas
● https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/
Types_of_natural_gas_deposits
●
Video Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-njmj0diWu8
