Natural Gas to Boost Share of Primary Energy Use by 2050

KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 (Bernama) -- Natural gas will increase its share of primary energy use from around one fifth today to about one third by 2050, said president of International Gas Union (IGU), Dr Abdul Rahim Hashim. Abdul Rahim said policy- and decision-makers were beginning to seriously consider the virtues of natural gas. "Natural gas meets the insatiable global demand for energy, addresses the issues of carbon dioxide and other emissions and the concern on sustainability both in terms of security of supply and long-term availability and affordability," he said in his opening remarks at the 25th World Gas Conference here on Monday. He said the recent global events, such as the unfortunate Fukushima incident of March 2011 and the North Africa/Middle East political turmoil, had shown that natural gas has managed and continued to play its role in providing the market with the much-needed energy at affordable prices. "Natural gas, with its positive attributes of being economical, efficient and environmentally-acceptable, can play a vital role to address these global challenges," he said. This, he said, was also in line with the expected increase in energy demand globally, by as much as 30 to 40 per cent in the longer term outlook, compared to present consumption. "This is due to population growth, economic progress, individual prosperity and urbanisation," he said. Abdul Rahim said the increase in demand, especially for electricity and transportation sectors, would exacerbate the demand for fossil fuels. "This insatiable demand unfortunately poses an environmental issue in the form of carbon dioxide and other emissions," he said. -- BERNAMA CL THS