The use of natural gas is an important part of modern life. 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 - a collapse will come. Despite the huge gas reserves 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.

Gas reserves in the world (2014)

No matter how many cubic meters of blue fuel the planet contains in its bowels, one must be careful and economical when extracting and consuming it. The resource is not replenished and does not form by itself. 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 of 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 be enough for mankind only 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 with the largest reserves in the world. These are the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Germany and other European states.

Russia

Our country has the richest deposits of this resource. As shown in the table, the estimated amount 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. Part of the predicted deposits is 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, two thirds are hidden in the bowels of the Yamalo-Nenets district. Only 10% falls on the European part of the Russian Federation. These are the largest gas reserves in the world that exist.

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

Iran

The largest reserves of natural gas in the world, except for Russia, also has this Islamic Republic. According to general estimates, this is about 16% of the total resource that exists on the planet. The most important deposits are located in the northeast and offshore the Persian Gulf. The government plans to build the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.

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

The construction of the pipeline will be completed in 2019. Then the delivery will start. Turkey will receive 6 billion cubic meters of blue fuel annually as a transit country, and almost twice as much resource will go to Europe.

Qatar

A small state, which not every person will find on the world map, has very large gas reserves. In the world, it is the third in terms of the number of hidden cubic meters of blue fuel in the bowels of the earth. Approximately it is 24-26 trillion m³. Based on the above figures, the country can easily be engaged in gas production over the next 150 years. Here is one of the largest deposits on the planet - the North Dome.

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

Turkmenistan

Gas reserves by countries of the world are arranged in such a way that this state occupies the fourth place in our rating. And he has every chance to break into the top three, since in 2015, 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, and also, paradoxically, to Iran and Russia. Now the state is also starting the construction of a new TAPI gas pipeline.

Large reserves of gas are hidden in the bowels 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 Iolotan, named after this settlement - South Iolotan.

USA

This country primarily has the largest shale gas reserves in the world. It is extracted from and it consists to a greater extent of their 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 deposits in the US are in the Gulf of Mexico. These are wells: Red Hawk, opened 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. To transport the resource, the country is building a gas pipeline. It will stretch from Point Thompson to the very coast of the Pacific Ocean, and from there to the heart of America - Washington.

Experts say that this field can provide 7% of the annual demand of the United States. It is assumed that the construction of the gas pipeline will be completed in 2018, at the same 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. Also, this country is the main regulator of oil prices in the world and the leader of OPEC.

As for gas, the country will double its production in the next 10 years. Export deliveries are not expected, the resource will provide only the internal needs of the state. At present, the largest gas field is Tukhman, located in the center of the Rub al-Khali desert. The initial stock here is estimated at 1 billion cubic meters. The resource lies at a depth of five kilometers.

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

UAE

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

According to experts, the UAE also ranks 5th in the world in terms of oil sales. The country is a member of OPEC, it has enough oil reserves for more than 100 years. 66 billion barrels - this is 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 to her native East.

Venezuela

The reserves of natural gas in the world are large, and it is the Bolivarian Republic that 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 categorized as "possible". The state takes 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 it is the state No. 1 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 leader exporter of important natural resources, but also claims to be the first in the ranking of the most developed and successful countries in Latin America. And this despite all its conflicts with the United States, the border Antilles and neighboring Colombia.

Nigeria

Gas reserves by countries of the world were distributed in such a way that two African states also got into the TOP-10 of the largest gas empires. In ninth place we have Nigeria - the No. 1 power on the "black" continent in terms of explored reserves of blue fuel. About 5 trillion cubic meters of the resource is hidden in the bowels of the earth here. In terms of its export, Nigeria ranks 7th in the world, which is also a good result.

It has land and oil deposits. It ranks second after Libya in terms of the number of proven reserves of valuable barrels. But in terms 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 explored 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 that is free from oil caps or that 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 well-known resource extraction points are Nezla, Gurd-Nus and Wend-Numer. From 1990 to the present day, the proven reserves of blue fuel in Algeria have doubled, which turned out to be the result of active geological work.

As you can see, there are enough gas reserves on the planet. But this does not relieve us of the responsibility for their economical and proper use for the benefit of future 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 explored reserves of minerals, the revenues from which generously fill 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 (Urengoyskoye field) and Turkmenistan have huge natural gas reserves, and 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), the share of the world's proven natural gas reserves is 25% (of which 95% are in the Arctic). In terms of oil reserves, Russia's position is more modest: 5.3% of the world's oil reserves (8th place on the planet, of which 60% are in the Arctic) .

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

No. 2. Islamic Republic of Iran .

Islamic Republic of Iran :

More than 16% of the world's natural gas reserves. The main deposits are located on the shelf of the Persian Gulf and in the north-east 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 US 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 supplier of oil to China;
Iran is the largest economy in Asia. In terms of GDP, 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 system of government there is a special body - the Council of Guardians of the Constitution, which prohibits non-Muslims from holding the highest government posts, and members of parliament from drawing up 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 terms of the number of executions for serious crimes.

No. 3. Qatar .

Qatar - the pearl of the Persian Gulf :

3rd place in the world in terms of natural gas reserves, 6th exporter of natural gas in the world;
a major exporter of oil and oil products (OPEC member);
No. 1 country in the world in terms of “average per capita income” \ the 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 terms of natural gas reserves on Earth;
OPEC leader. The main regulator of world oil prices;
an active defender and lobbyist for the interests of Islam throughout the world. "Country of 2 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 ally of the United States in the Middle East and, at the same time, the birthplace of the former leader of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and the Vatican were only established in 2007;
the law prohibits oral or written discussions of the existing political system, the use and sale of alcohol and drugs. criminal law is based on sharia; for theft - cutting off the brush, for extramarital sexual relations are punishable - lashes, for murder, blasphemy and "witchcraft" (prediction of the future, fortune-telling) - the death penalty.

No. 5. Turkmenistan .

Turkmenistan is the 5th state in the world in terms of natural gas reserves (according to some estimates, the 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 retains one of the most repressive and authoritarian regimes in the world. © Human Rights Watch;
According to the Press Freedom Index, Turkmenistan is at the bottom of the list every year. © Reporters Without Borders

No. 6. United Arab Emirates .

6th in the world in terms of proven gas reserves (about 4% of the world's reserves \ proven reserves of natural gas - more than 214 trillion cubic feet). The main natural gas production sites are the emirate of Abu Dhabi: Abu al-Bukhush, Bab, Bu Khasa, Umm Shaif, Zakum. The Abu Dhabi National Company controls more than 90% of the country's gas reserves;
5th place in terms of proven 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 the world's oil reserves (66 billion barrels, most of it - 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. The main oil fields: the emirate of Abu Dhabi (Asab, Bab, Bu Khasa, 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 included in the group of non-aligned countries and acts with a position of "absolute neutrality" (preservation of "equidistance" from the West and East).

No. 7. Nigeria .

Nigeria :

1st place in Africa in terms of explored reserves of natural gas (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 state collapse in 2011, Libya occupied the 1st place), 2nd place in Africa in terms of 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 US, 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 released (inferior in the number of India, but bypasses the United States).

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

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

Coal production is characterized by a decrease in production in the oldest regions of its development, which is associated with the depletion of relatively available reserves and a sharp rise in the cost of the mine method of extraction (Table 1).

Leading countries in gas production

5). Once the largest exporters of coal - Great Britain and Germany - have turned into its importers. About 65% of coal production is used to generate electricity. The rest goes mainly to ferrous metallurgy.

In the structure of electricity production, over 60% is accounted for by thermal power plants, about 20% by nuclear power plants, and 18% by hydroelectric power plants. The share of alternative sources (wind, geothermal, solar, tidal power plants) is approximately 1%. Approximately 22% of the electricity produced in the world comes from the United States, 16% from the EU countries, and another 14% from China. At the same time, out of the total amount of electricity generated by nuclear power plants, more than 35% is accounted for by the EU (primarily France and Germany), 30% by the USA, 10% by Japan and 5% by Russia. Canada and China (12% each), Brazil (11%), the USA (9%) and Russia (6%) stand out in the production of hydroelectric power.

Table 5 The world's largest coal producers
(in terms of oil equivalent)

Thus, the production and consumption of energy resources in the world is unevenly distributed across groups of countries and regions (Table 6). Thus, the OECD countries account for almost 60% of world oil consumption and only 25% of its production. The EU countries account for 8% of world gas production and 17% of its consumption.

The enterprises of the metallurgical complex are increasingly concentrated in the newly developed and newly industrialized countries, as well as in China, which became the world leader in the iron and steel industry in the mid-1990s. (see Table 7). In the ferrous metallurgy of developed countries, the production of traditional types of products is decreasing, but at the same time, the production of high-quality metals and complex types of rolled products is expanding. The volume of steel production (including per capita), which relatively recently served as one of the main indicators of the level of economic development, has largely lost its significance. This is explained, first of all, by a decrease in the overall metal intensity of production, an increase in the requirements for the quality of the metal.

Table 6

Natural gas production

Natural gas is one of the irreplaceable minerals. According to one of the most popular theories, they are formed during a long process of anaerobic decomposition of living organisms in the soil under the influence of high temperature and pressure. Methane, butane, ethane, propane and other compounds are found in the composition of the extracted raw materials. Natural gas is odorless and colorless. In Russia, the extraction and processing of this mineral began about 200 years ago. At first, gas was considered a by-product of oil production (both types of fuel usually occur next to each other). However, subsequently, these minerals began to be mined separately.

Gas fields

The Russian Federation has the largest gas reserves in the world. The second largest reserves of this mineral are the United States. It is followed by some countries from the post-Soviet space (Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan) and states located on the territory of the Persian Gulf. Natural gas is being produced all over the world. Moreover, the development of blue fuel deposits is not limited to land. It is actively mined from the seabed. In Russia, gas fields are mainly located behind the Ural Mountains. They are also found in the North Caucasus and the Black Sea. The largest reserves of blue fuel are found in the following fields:

• Urengoy. It is located in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. In terms of natural gas reserves, this field is the second in the world.
• Nakhodka. This deposit also belongs to the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Its development began in 2004. According to estimates, gas reserves in it reach 275 billion cubic meters.
• Angaro Lenskoe. Located in the Irkutsk region. Intelligence data indicate that about 1.4 trillion cubic meters have accumulated in the field. gas.
• Kovykta. Located near Irkutsk. It is one of the most difficult deposits in terms of extraction, since part of the territory is covered with a layer of permafrost. According to preliminary estimates, about 2 trillion cubic meters lie here. gas and approximately 120 million tons of liquid condensate.
• Shtokman. Another deposit belonging to the category of the largest. It is located about 600 km from Murmansk and includes about 3.8 trillion cubic meters. gas. Due to the great depth of the mineral deposits, this deposit is not currently being mined.

All large and most small fields in the Russian Federation belong to Gazprom. The gas monopoly, which extracts and processes more than 74% of all Russian fuel reserves, occupies a 20% share of the world market. In addition to its main tasks, Gazprom is also carrying out gasification of the country.

Gas Exploration and Production Methods

Before the start of production, geological exploration of the territory is carried out, where, possibly, there are deposits of blue fuel.

They allow you to determine the approximate gas reserves and the prospects for the development of the field.

World natural gas market. Dossier

Reconnaissance of the area is carried out by one of the following methods:

• Gravity. During which experts evaluate the gravity of rocks. The presence of gas is indicated by regions with a lower density.
• Magnetic. It is based on different magnetic permeability of rocks.
• Seismic. Such geological exploration involves the use of special equipment that sends waves of various lengths through the earth's layers and captures the reflected echo.
• Geochemical. Groundwater is being studied for the level of concentration of certain chemical compounds in them.
• Drilling. It is considered the most accurate method of exploration. However, drilling is also the most expensive way to explore deposits.

There are several fairly effective methods for extracting natural gas. These include:

• One of the most important areas is, of course, drilling. Natural gas fills many voids in the earth's rocks, interconnected by channels. When drilling a well, fuel under natural pressure begins to rise up. To ensure uniform production, the well itself is created in the form of a "ladder", and its walls are reinforced with casing pipes.
• Hydraulic fracturing. This method also involves drilling wells into which a large amount of water or air is then injected. This approach allows to destroy the partitions formed in the rock, due to which all the gas under pressure escapes.
• Mining underwater. Underwater gas production is carried out from special platforms, the concrete base of which rests on the bottom. It is in the latter that columns are built in, through which wells are drilled, and tanks for temporary storage of fuel. The gas is then sent to land via a pipeline, where it is processed in the traditional way.

The produced gas contains a wide variety of impurities. Therefore, it is sent to a special station, which is usually built near the field. It is necessary to process fossils, as it is necessary to remove impurities and various inclusions from them, such as sand and water.

Subsequently, blue fuel is sent to storage. To do this, it is pre-cooled to a temperature of -160 degrees and filled with containers made of aluminum alloys or steel. Basically, gas storage facilities are built underground.

For gas transportation to end consumers and export deliveries, special main pipelines are used, through which gas is delivered to gas distribution stations, where pressure is reduced, but also an odorant (ethyl mercaptan) is added, a substance that gives the gas a characteristic odor and prevents imperceptible gas leakage.

Today, gas production is one of the most important industries in Russia. It forms a significant part of the country's budget.

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 explored reserves of minerals, the revenues from which generously fill 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 (Urengoyskoye field) and Turkmenistan have huge natural gas reserves, and 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), the share of the world's proven natural gas reserves is 25% (of which 95% are in the Arctic). In terms of oil reserves, Russia's position is more modest: 5.3% of the world's oil reserves (8th place on the planet, of which 60% are in the Arctic) .

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

Continuing the topic: Nord Stream is a masterpiece of cooperation between Europe and Russia

No. 2. Islamic Republic of Iran.

Islamic Republic of Iran:

More than 16% of the world's natural gas reserves. The main deposits are located on the shelf of the Persian Gulf and in the north-east 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 US 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 supplier of oil to China;
Iran is the largest economy in Asia. In terms of GDP, 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 system of government there is a special body - the Council of Guardians of the Constitution, which prohibits non-Muslims from holding the highest government posts, and members of parliament from drawing up 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 terms of the number of executions for serious crimes.

No. 3. Qatar.

Qatar - the pearl of the Persian Gulf:

3rd place in the world in terms of natural gas reserves, 6th exporter of natural gas in the world;
a major exporter of oil and oil products (OPEC member);
No. 1 country in the world in terms of “average per capita income” \ the 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.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:

More than 25% of proven oil reserves (more than 260 billion barrels), 4th place in terms of natural gas reserves on Earth;
OPEC leader. The main regulator of world oil prices;
an active defender and lobbyist for the interests of Islam throughout the world. "Country of 2 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 ally of the United States in the Middle East and, at the same time, the birthplace of the former leader of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and the Vatican were only established in 2007;
the law prohibits oral or written discussions of the existing political system, the use and sale of alcohol and drugs. criminal law is based on sharia; for theft - cutting off the brush, for extramarital sexual relations are punishable - lashes, for murder, blasphemy and "witchcraft" (foretelling the future, divination) - the death penalty.

No. 5. Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan is the 5th state in the world in terms of natural gas reserves (according to some estimates, the 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 retains one of the most repressive and authoritarian regimes in the world. © Human Rights Watch;
According to the Press Freedom Index, Turkmenistan is at the bottom of the list every year. © Reporters Without Borders

No. 6. United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates:

6th in the world in terms of proven gas reserves (about 4% of the world's reserves \ proven reserves of natural gas - more than 214 trillion cubic feet). The main natural gas production sites are the emirate of Abu Dhabi: Abu al-Bukhush, Bab, Bu Khasa, Umm Shaif, Zakum. The Abu Dhabi National Company controls more than 90% of the country's gas reserves;
5th place in terms of proven 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 the world's oil reserves (66 billion barrels, most of it is 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. The main oil fields: the emirate of Abu Dhabi (Asab, Bab, Bu Khasa, 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 included in the group of non-aligned countries and acts with a position of "absolute neutrality" (preservation of "equidistance" from the West and East).

No. 7. Nigeria.

Nigeria:

1st place in Africa in terms of explored reserves of natural gas (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 state collapse in 2011, Libya occupied the 1st place), 2nd place in Africa in terms of 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 US, 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 released (inferior in the number of India, but bypasses the United States).

Continuing the topic:

Nigeria is closed. Nigeria will repeat the fate of Sudan?
Twilight of the oil power. Blood Oil as a Catalyst of History

No. 8. Venezuela.

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela:

8th place in the world in terms of proven reserves of "blue fuel" (out of 146 trillion cubic feet of gas - 32 trillion cubic feet are classified as probable and possible). Venezuela together with 4 companies from Russia (a consortium of Rosneft, Surgutneftegaz, TNK-BP, LUKOIL, Gazprom), China (CNOOC Ltd), Malaysia (Petronasi) and Algeria (Sonatrach) development of offshore gas fields;
has the largest oil reserves in the Western Hemisphere (over 77 billion barrels) and is the No. 1 oil producer in Latin America. The exact oil reserves are unknown: the proven oil reserves are 75 billion barrels, however, there is a version (source Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez, 2011) - about 297 billion barrels! In any case, Venezuela is one of the "top 10" largest oil exporters on the planet and is an important member of OPEC;
the charismatic leader Hugo Chavez is building "socialism of the 21st century" in the country;
claims to be the leader in Latin America. It has very tense relations with the United States, border disputes with Colombia and the Netherlands Antilles, claims 2/3 of the territory of Guyana (a neighboring state).

No. 9. Algiers.

Algerian People's Democratic Republic:

In terms of gas reserves, Algeria ranks 9th in the world, in terms of commercial gas production - 5th. Algeria's proven natural gas reserves are over 4.5 trillion cubic meters.

Top 10 countries by natural gas reserves

cube m (2nd place in Africa after Nigeria - more than 5 trillion cubic meters, almost 3% of world reserves);
About 85% of Algeria's gas reserves are free gas from gas fields and gas caps of oil deposits; the rest of the gas is dissolved in oil (mainly in the Hassi-Messaoud oil field). The largest gas field is Hassi-Rmel; Significant gas reserves have been explored at the Gurd-Hyc, Nezla, Oued-Numer and other fields. In the 20th century, the proven reserves of natural gas in Algeria almost doubled as a result of successful exploration work;
The production and sale of gas is controlled by the state company Sonatrach. More than 50% of the gross natural gas production is provided by the Hassi-R'Mel field. However, an important role in increasing gas production is given to the development of the In Salah group of fields (by the In Salah Gas (ISG) consortium): Sonatrach (35%), BP (33%) and the Norwegian Statoil (32%);
In terms of oil reserves, Algeria ranks 3rd in Africa (after Libya and Nigeria), 15th in the world, 11th among oil exporting countries. Algeria is a member of OPEC;
4/5 of the country's territory is occupied by the Sahara desert. More than 185 oil and gas fields are known on the territory of Algeria; most of the deposits are located in the northeast of the Sahara region;
Algeria ranks 1st in Africa in terms of mercury reserves (4% of global reserves), 2nd in reserves of iron ore, lead and zinc ores;
In the energy balance of Algeria, natural gas occupies more than 62%, oil - less than 35%, coal - less than 3%, hydropower - 0.5%.

No. 10. Iraq.

Iraq:

Zone of political and economic instability - the development of the oil and gas industry is complicated due to partly ongoing sabotage;
10th place - in terms of proven natural gas reserves, of which 90% - Iraqi Kurdistan. It is planned to build a gas pipeline "Iran-Iraq-Syria (alternative-Turkey)-Europe". However, due to the unstable situation in Syria, the confrontation between the United States and Iran, the implementation of this project is difficult;
2nd place in the world (after Saudi Arabia) - in terms of proven oil reserves: 112 billion barrels, total estimated oil reserves are estimated at 220 billion barrels! The depths of Iraq have not yet been sufficiently explored. The price of Iraqi oil production is one of the lowest in the world.

Experts from Heritage Oil Plc (UK) discovered in 2011 in Iraqi Kurdistan the largest new natural gas field in the last 30 years. According to Heritage Oil Plc, the Miran West-2 field contains almost 350 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 75 million barrels of oil. The start of hydrocarbon production is scheduled for 2015.

2012 © "FranchExpert.ru" TOP 10 gas empires of the world. Reference to the source when reprinting materials is required;

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

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

The article presents current and official data for 2016, based on the statistical information provided by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Modern conditions of human life cannot be imagined without the presence of natural gas as a fuel. Ecological cleanliness, good thermal conductivity, easy transportability, relatively low price and other positive properties make it indispensable in many areas of human life, industry and power industry.

World leaders in natural gas production in the world

The main consumers are geographically located not in the areas of world fuel production. This is due to the geography of the distribution of industry and the electric power industry, as well as the population density in a particular region.

Since the 1970s, the largest volumes of consumption have been in three regions of the globe: North America, Foreign Europe and the CIS countries. Of these regions, only the United States of America and Canada can fully supply themselves with the necessary reserve of the fuel resource. In other regions, large consumption is not at the expense of their own resources; exports from producing countries prevail.

The diagram shows the main areas of gas production in the world, individual countries are taken as the area. In total, all indicators are taken as 100%, not counting the rest of the territories, which account for a small amount of development. The unit of measurement in the chart is billion cubic meters.

In terms of natural gas production, more than 25% of the world belongs to the United States, which occupy a leading position.

The world's largest natural gas producers

The second place is occupied by Russia, which accounts for about 20 percent of the total production of the ten leading regions.

The position of countries in the list of leaders in gas production does not at all mean the leadership of these states in the world fuel trade, that is, exports to other regions of the world. For 2016, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries compiled a rating of countries that are export-oriented, of which eight are the leaders.

General picture of the geography of gas fields

About 1,200 billion cubic meters of gas are concentrated in the twenty largest gas fields. The geography of areas that are rich in this natural resource is confined to the territories of the following states of the world:

1. Russia. 9 of the 20 largest fuel deposits are located on the lands of the Russian Federation.

   Most of them were opened in the 60-80s of the last century. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, three new large fields were discovered in Russia, which were included in the TOP-20: West Kamchatskoye, Leningradskoye and Rusanovskoye (see also How much oil is left in Russia?).

2. USA. There are 4 largest deposits in the sub-region, which were discovered in the mid-1960s, and began to be intensively used at the end of the 20th century.
3. Qatar and Iran. There are two rich places here, one of which simultaneously occupies the state lands of Qatar and Iran.
4. Turkmenistan. Just one rich place that is among the leaders in terms of gas reserves.
5. China. One large deposit, which was discovered in 2008 and ranked tenth in the TOP-20 states in terms of resource reserves (Russian-Chinese investment cooperation).
6. Algeria. The last three lines in the ranking are occupied by regions of Algeria. Hassi Mel is the oldest in the country, discovered back in 1957, but to this day, and the largest in terms of its reserves in Algeria. Two others were opened in 2004 and 2006.

The first place in the list of the largest deposits is occupied by North or South Pars, which is located within the borders of two countries of Qatar and Iran at once, as well as in the water area of ​​the Persian oil and gas basin and the Gulf. It was discovered in 1991 and currently its reserves exceed 270 billion cubic meters. The Persian Gulf is a world giant not only in terms of the presence of deposits, but also in terms of production in the Asian oil and gas region.

After the opening in 2006 of a new place Galkynysh in Turkmenistan, it took second place in the list of world leaders. It owns 210 billion cubic meters of the resource, the deposits of which are located within the Murghab oil and gas basin.

The third place belongs to the Russian Federation, namely the Urengoy region, confined to the West Siberian oil and gas basin. It was discovered in 1996, in 2016 its reserves amount to 10.2 trillion cubic meters.

The main areas of gas production in the world

Below is a map that reflects the geography of distribution of the largest gas fields throughout the globe. The main deposits of blue fuel are concentrated within the leading countries in terms of the annual production of this resource.

The largest mineral reserves are located within the following deposits on the planet:

• Gulf of Mexico and Alaska in the United States of America;
• in the Russian Federation, the southern and northern regions of Western Siberia, the territories of the Far East and Sakhalin, the shelves of the two seas of the Barents and Kara;
• deposits located within Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia of the Persian Gulf;
• the southern regions of Turkmenistan, whose minerals are exported to three countries - Poland, Ukraine and Hungary;
• Algeria and Nigeria are the only sub-regions in Africa with natural gas deposits. The fuel here is of high quality, in which there is no high content of harmful impurities and slags;
• in the North Sea of ​​Norway. The volumes of natural gas deposits are considered the largest in Europe;
• on the lands of Canada there are several largest areas within the island of Newfoundland of the northern provinces, including the shelf of the Western Canadian Basin;
• in China, the main areas of gas production are concentrated in the Tari Basin

OPEC statistics indicate that with the growing consumption of blue fuel on the planet, the remaining reserves will only last for the next 65 years. In all state deposits, there are no more than 180 trillion cubic meters of combustible matter. More than 120 trillion reserves of fuel that have not yet been explored, since it lies at a very great depth in the earth's crust and is practically not available for global production.

Russia's main fuel bases

Fuel industry.

Russia is one of the few countries in the world that is not only fully provided with all types of fuel resources, but also supplies them in large quantities to other countries. Russia accounts for 10% of the world's oil reserves, more than 40% of gas and more than 50% of coal. The geological knowledge of the territory of Russia is relatively weak, so the real fuel resources are likely to be much larger. In terms of gas production, Russia ranks first, in oil production - second, and coal - fifth place in the world.

Coal, oil and gas are the main types of fuel. The value of other energy sources (peat, oil shale, firewood) is quite small.

Gas industry. This is the youngest and fastest growing branch of the fuel industry in Russia. Active development of gas reserves began only in the second half of the 20th century. Gas is the only type of fuel whose production in Russia has not been reduced in recent decades.

Gas has a high calorific value, is an environmentally friendly type of fuel, since little toxic substances are released during its combustion. Extraction and transportation of gas are simple. When extracting gas, there is no need for underground work, since gas can be pumped from the surface. Transportation of gas through gas pipelines is relatively cheap.

The largest gas reserves are in the West Siberian economic region of the country (Figure 2), where more than 85% of Russian gas is produced in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, in the lower reaches of the Ob and Taza rivers. The largest gas fields in the country and the world are located here - Urengoyskoye, Yamburgskoye, Medvezhye, Zapolyarnoye, etc. Only these four fields account for half of the gas production.

In much smaller volumes, gas is produced in the south of the Urals, in the Northern economic region, in the Volga region, in the North Caucasus, and in the Far East.

The Yamal and Gydansky peninsulas (north of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug), the shelf zone of the Barents Sea and the Sakhalin Islands are promising for gas.

Figure 2 - The share of economic regions in gas production,%

Oil industry. Russia is rich in oil. The maximum volume of oil production was reached in 1988, when almost a fifth of the world's oil production was produced in Russia. However, in recent decades, oil production in the country has decreased by almost 2 times. Currently, the decline in oil production has stopped, and the growth of its production has begun.

Crude oil is not used, it is processed at refineries for gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, various oils, etc., and a variety of chemical products are obtained at petrochemical enterprises.

Russia's main oil base is Western Siberia (Figure 3). If gas fields are located in the lower reaches of the Ob, then oil is mainly deposited in its middle course, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. 70% of the country's oil is produced here. Moreover, West Siberian oil is of high quality - it contains a small amount of sulfur. Unfortunately, the super-rich deposits of Western Siberia are depleted. Ahead is the time of exploitation of relatively small, but numerous fields, in which there is still a lot of oil.

Figure 3 - Share of economic regions in oil production, %

The Volga-Ural oil province is located within the territory of the republics of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Udmurtia, as well as the Perm Territory, Orenburg, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions. The oil in this region is significantly inferior in quality to West Siberian oil, but it lies relatively shallow, which simplifies its extraction.

The Timan-Pechora oil province, located in the northern economic region, is still being developed. There are a large number of explored, but so far undeveloped deposits in the region, including those in the shelf zone of the Barents and Kara Seas.

The Usinskoye field in the Komi Republic is distinguished by its unique production conditions. Due to the high density (density), oil is not pumped out of the ground, but is extracted in mines.

The North Caucasus, Russia's oldest oil-producing region, now plays a minor role. Although the quality of oil here is the best, its reserves are small due to the high depletion of the fields.

In the main production areas, except for Timan-Pechora, there is a significant depletion of oil reserves, and, therefore, a further decline in the level of oil production in the country can be expected. Fortunately, this is not the case. Firstly, there are many promising areas that can significantly expand the raw material base of the industry. These are areas of the European North, Siberia and the Far East, including their shelf zones.

In our country, the areas of production and consumption of fuel are separated by huge distances. Indeed, the main fuel production takes place in the east of the country, while the largest cities and main industrial centers are located in its western part. Therefore, the importance of oil and gas pipelines is very great.

Table 3

The most important main gas pipelines

The pipeline system crosses our country from east to west (Tables 3 and 4). The length of the main (largest) pipelines in Russia exceeds 200 thousand km. Branches from them create a developed network, especially dense in the European part of the country. Part of the pipelines goes beyond the borders of our country, ensuring the supply of fuel to the countries of near and far abroad. As you know, Russia is the largest exporter of oil and gas in Europe. An oil pipeline from Eastern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean is currently under construction.

Table 4

The most important main oil pipelines

Coal industry. Coal is inferior to oil and gas in many respects. Its heat of combustion is much lower. At the same time, the cost of its extraction is much higher. To raise coal to the surface, it is necessary to use powerful and complex equipment, the work of many people. There are two methods of coal mining - open (quarry) and closed (mine). Especially expensive is coal mined in mines, since the mine is an extremely complex underground structure. In terms of the number of workers, the coal industry significantly outnumbers all other fuel industries.

Since the transportation of coal is carried out mainly by rail, it is much more expensive than the transportation of oil and gas through pipelines. As a result, coal is more expensive fuel. However, it remains one of the most important fuels in our country. The explanation for this is simple. First, Russia's coal reserves are huge. According to experts, they can last for many hundreds, and possibly thousands of years. Therefore, coal is actively used to generate heat and generate electricity. Secondly, it is difficult to find a replacement for coal in some sectors of the economy. This primarily concerns metallurgy, which is one of the major consumers of coal.

For the needs of thermal power engineering and metallurgy, different coal is used. For thermal power generation, types of coal with a high calorific value are needed. They are called so - energy coals. The best of them is anthracite. In metallurgy, another type of coal is used - coking. After special treatment, impurities are removed from it, and almost pure carbon remains - coke. It is coke that is used as fuel in the production of pig iron. Coking coals are much less common than thermal coals. Almost 75% of all coals deposited in the earth's crust are energy-related. Therefore, when assessing coal basins, the presence of coking coals there must be taken into account.

Anthracite and coking coal belong to the group of hard coals. In addition to stone, there is also brown coal. As a fuel, brown coal is significantly inferior to stone. Its heat of combustion is almost 2 times less. It contains a lot of ash particles, and therefore, when burned, brown coal smokes very strongly. Nevertheless, in some regions of the country, the reserves of this coal are large, and the conditions of occurrence allow open mining, so it is widely used. True, it is unprofitable to carry brown coal over long distances. Therefore, brown coal is used only in mining areas.

The location of the coal industry in Russia, of course, depends on the location of coal deposits in the country. They are mainly concentrated in the eastern regions of Russia (Table 5). More than 90% of coal reserves are located here. The eastern regions also provide 3/4 of the country's coal production (Figure 4). The main role in the all-Russian production of coal is played by the Kuznetsk (Kemerovo region) and Kansk-Achinsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory) basins located here.

The Kuznetsk Basin (Kuzbass) is the absolute leader in Russia in terms of coal production. More than half of Russian coal is mined here. Huge reserves, thick coal seams, excellent quality of coal, including coking coal, make the basin one of the largest and best in the world. Almost half of the coal is mined here by open-pit mining. Despite its considerable remoteness from world markets, Kuzbass is the largest exporter of Russian coal.

Table 5

Characteristics of the most important coal basins in Russia

Figure 4 - Coal mining by economic regions, %

The Kansk-Achinsk basin has layers of brown coal of great thickness, which occur almost at the earth's surface. This creates conditions for relatively cheap open-pit coal mining. But the coal here is low-calorie, of low quality. Therefore, it is mainly used in the mining area for the production of electricity. The widespread use of this coal has led to a significant deterioration in air quality in the settlements of the region.

The Pechora basin is the largest in terms of coal reserves and production in the European part of the country.

Russia leads the ranking of countries in terms of natural gas reserves

Significant depth of occurrence (200-600 m), small thickness of seams (1-2 m), difficult natural conditions of the Arctic make it difficult to extract, lead to additional costs that increase the cost of coal. Coking coal accounts for 3/5 of the total production volume.

Eastern Donbass is located in the west of the Rostov region. In general, the Donetsk coal basin is located on the border with Ukraine, and most of it is outside of Russia. Coal has been mined here for more than 100 years, so all the most convenient and rich seams have already been worked out. Now mining is carried out at very great depths. Some mines exceed a kilometer depth. The thickness of the coal layers is very small, in some places it does not exceed a few centimeters. As a result, coal is very expensive.

Coal is mined in the South Yakutsk basin, in Neryungri. A branch of the railway comes here - a branch from the Baikal-Amur Mainline, which allows you to send products to Russian consumers and export them to Japan.

The Tunguska, Taimyr, Lena basins are the largest in the world in terms of coal reserves. They contain power and coking coals, but are not yet developed due to the poor economic development of the territory, the almost complete absence of transport routes and remoteness from consumers. In Russia, 2/3 of coal is mined in an open way, in Kuzbass - about half, in the Kansk-Achinsk basin - 100%. Exclusively in the mines, mining is carried out in the Pechora and Donetsk basins.

Natural gas fields in Russia

It's no secret that the oil and gas industry is the foundation of the Russian economy. Our country is the first in the ranking of exporters of natural gas, and about 25% of the world's reserves of this irreplaceable resource lie in the thickness of the earth's crust on its territory.

Natural gas fields are a whole collection of deposits covering areas measured in thousands of square kilometers.

Urengoy, Shtokman, Yamburg… Surely you have already heard these names, as the whole world has heard about them, because we are talking about the largest and most important gas fields in Russia.

Let's learn a little more about each of them.

Urengoy

A gas field located on the territory of the Yamalo-Nenets District, near the village of Urengoy. Now there flaunts a beautiful modern city - Novy Urengoy, the city of oil and gas workers.

This field is the largest in Russia (more than 1,300 wells) and is also considered one of the oldest gas fields in the country.

Urengoy hydrocarbon resources have already been exhausted by 70 percent, despite the fact that their total volume was estimated at 10.9 trillion cubic meters. Now all efforts are aimed at developing gas production from the depths of the Achimov deposits, the deepest and most inaccessible hydrocarbon deposit.

Yamburgskoe (YANGKM)

The field, which lies beyond the Arctic Circle, in the subarctic zone of Yamal, was discovered in 1969. Yamburgsky gas rests at a depth of 1-3 km, where the first 400 meters is a layer of permafrost. For the first time at the Yamburgskoye field, complex installations of the GTP were tested. The total geological reserves are estimated at 8.2 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

Bovanenkovo

It is this field that journalists often choose when preparing a story about the gas field. Bovanenkovo ​​is located near the coast of the Kara Sea. Around - only the endless tundra, rare settlements of the Nenets and deer herds.

This field is still very young, and the beginning of its operation falls on 2012. So far, the field has only 743 wells, half as many as Urengoyskoye, but because it is located above the Achimov deposits, it is considered very promising. Today, gas reserves in Bovanenkovo ​​are estimated at 4.9 trillion cubic meters.

Shtokmanovskoye

This gas-condensate field, named after the research vessel Professor Shtokman, is located right in the middle of the Barents Sea, in the shelf zone between Murmansk and Novaya Zemlya.

TOP 10 gas empires of the world

The depth of the sea here is about 340 meters.

It is extremely rich in both natural gas and gas condensate. The volume of these resources is estimated at 3.94 trillion cubic meters and 56 million tons, however, it has not yet been possible to realize the operation of the field at full capacity, but it is planned to reach the maximum level of its development by 2019.

Kovykta

The largest deposit in Eastern Siberia. Its area is 1500 km2. Currently, according to the degree of industrial development, it is still at the exploration stage. It is the resource base of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline.

Leningrad

A giant field located in the southwest of the Kara Sea. The explored volume of gas is equal to 3 trillion cubic meters. Natural gas is pumped out here from the Cenomanian stratum and, despite the rather deep occurrence of layers in the field (1.7 - 2.6 km), it is obtained quite easily.

Rusanovskoe

This deposit is also classified as giant. Gas reserves here are estimated at only 779 billion cubic meters, however, due to the multilayer nature of this area, it is difficult to say for sure, and there is an assumption that there are at least 3 trillion cubic meters of them. Rusanovskoye is also rich in gas condensate, which was counted here about 8 million tons. The field has chosen the territory of the southwestern part of the Kara Sea, just 70 km from the Leningrad "brother".

Zapolyarnoye

Fifth in the world in terms of gas reserves (total - 3.5 trillion cubic meters). It was discovered 80 km from Urengoy in 1965.

It is here that the world's largest gas treatment plant with a capacity of 35 billion cubic meters is located.

bearish

The oldest deposit in the West Siberian region and one of the largest. Its area is more than 2100 square kilometers. The Medvezhye field, with an initial volume of resources of 4.7 trillion cubic meters, is already 80% depleted, and in this regard, it is planned to reduce the number of gas fields from 9 to 6, by modernizing them.

Astrakhan

The Caspian region is also rich in hydrocarbons (proven reserves are 2.5 trillion cubic meters of gas and 400 million tons of gas condensate). Natural gas is extracted here at a depth of up to 4.1 km.

Sakhalin - 3

Here, in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, just east of Sakhalin Island, there are as many as 3 deposits: Kirinskoye, Yuzhno-Kirinskoye and Mynginskoye. So far, the project is at the development stage, but when it is fully implemented, it is planned to produce about 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year on Sakhalin-3.

It is here that the largest floating drilling platform in Russia is located.

At the moment, world gas production covers a fifth of the electricity generation resources. And also modern industry consumes more than 30% of the produced minerals.

Geographic location of gas deposits

Surface gas outlets are confined to mountainous regions. The release of fossil fuels to the surface occurs as both small bubbles and huge fountains. On water-soaked soil, it is easy to notice such small manifestations. Large emissions create mud volcanoes up to several hundred meters.

Before the industrialization of the world, surface gas outlets were quite enough. With the growth of gas consumption, it became necessary to search for deposits and drill wells. The most voluminous explored reserves of such a valuable mineral are located all over the world.

Since gas belongs to sedimentary minerals, its deposits should be sought in mountainous regions, at the bottom of the seas and oceans, or in places where the seas were located in ancient times.

The first place in terms of gas volumes is occupied by the South Pars / North oil and gas field, which is located in the Persian Gulf. South Pars is under the jurisdiction of Iran, and North Pars is under Qatar. Surprisingly huge deposits, despite their very close proximity, are separate deposits of different ages. Their total volume is estimated at 28 trillion cubic meters of gas.

The next in the list in terms of reserves is the Urengoyskoye oil and gas condensate field, located in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of the Russian Federation. The explored reserves of this giant field amounted to 16 trillion cubic meters. Now these deposits are within 10.2 trillion cubic meters.

The third field is Hainsville, located in the USA. Its volume is 7 trillion m3.

Gas production areas in the world

The largest reserves of natural fuels are located in several locations:

• Alaska;
• Gulf of Mexico (United States of America);
• the Far East of Russia and the region of western Siberia;
• the shelves of the Barents and Kara seas;
• continental shelves of Latin America;
• south of Turkmenistan;
• Arabian Peninsula and Iran;
• water area of ​​the North Sea;
• Canadian provinces;
• China.

Leading countries in gas production

About twenty fields contain most of the natural resource reserves - about 1200 billion cubic meters. Several countries produce gas.

Country #1

Russian Federation. Blue fuel resources are about 32.6 trillion cubic meters. Russia owns nine of the largest gas deposits in the world. The gas industry is the backbone of the Russian economy. More than 60% of the reserves are in deposits in Western Siberia, the Volga region, the North Caucasus and the Urals. Gas production - 642.917 billion m3 per year.

Country #2

Iran. Gas resources amount to 34 trillion cubic meters - this is almost a fifth of the world's reserves. Gas production (212.796 billion m3 per year) is concentrated in the northern region of the state and on the shelf of the Persian Gulf. International sanctions have had a negative impact on the country's gas industry. Their abolition in 2016 allows again increasing the volume of gas production, which makes Iran the closest competitor to Russia in the extraction of natural fuel.

The map shows a gas field in Iran

State #3

Qatar. Fuel resources - 24.5 trillion cubic meters. The country relatively recently joined the leaders of exporters of blue fuel. Gas production, amounting to 174.057 billion m3 per year, its processing and supply to international markets began in 1995-1997. Liquefied gas is produced only in the city of Ras Laffan. More than 80% of the extracted minerals are exported.

Country #4

Turkmenistan. The reserves of gas fields amount to 17.5 trillion cubic meters. Gas production takes place in the country's only field - Galkynysh. Most of the fossil is supplied to the European market. In 2006, the state was included in the Nabucco project - gas supplies via a pipeline from the Asian region directly to Europe. But due to regular conflicts in each of the proposed participating countries, the project was delayed. In 2013, Nabucco was closed without being built. The priority was the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline.

State #5

USA. Natural gas reserves amount to 9.8 trillion cubic meters. Gas production takes place in four states of the state: Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Colorado - 729,529. And also blue fuel is extracted from the depths of the continental shelf, but its share in the total volumes of the country is small - only 5%. Gas is produced by private companies.

The leaders in the extraction of natural fuels are:

• ExxonMobil
• Chevron
• Phillips 66

State #6

Saudi Arabia. Blue fuel deposits are estimated at 8200 billion cubic meters. Leading country of OPEC. The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (or Saudi Aramco) is the only national gas producer in Saudi Arabia. Gas production takes place in 70 fields - this is 102.380 billion m3 per year. The largest of them is Tukhman, located in the Rub al-Khali desert, whose reserves are assumed to be at the level of 1 billion m3.

State #7

United Arab Emirates. Explored reserves of blue fuel at the level of 6100 billion cubic meters. The main volumes lie in the emirate of Abu Dhabi (5600 billion m3). Abu Dhabi also has the world's largest Khuff gas reservoir. The remaining hydrocarbon deposits are distributed in the emirates of Sharjah (283 thousand million m3), Dubai (113 thousand million m3), Ras Al Khaimah (34 thousand million m3).

Gas production covers only a small excess of the state's own needs. used in the UAE for electricity generation, in the oil industry. The demand for blue fuel is constantly growing due to the constant increase in the pace of production in the industry.

From the oil fields "Lower Zakum", "Bunduk" and "Um-Shaif" the plant of the ADGAS company is engaged. Also, this company is engaged in the export of natural gas. To solve problems with gas production, the Dolphin project was created. Dolphin is a gas pipeline network linking the UAE and Qatar.

Country #8

Venezuela. The reserves amount to 5600 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which is almost 3% of the world's reserves. The main volumes are associated gas with oil. Together with foreign companies, it is developing offshore gas fields. Participating in these projects are:

• Rosneft.
• Gazprom.
• Lukoil (RF).
• CNOOC Ltd (PRC).
• Sonatrach (Algeria).
• Petronas (Malaysia).

Country #9

Nigeria. Approximate fuel reserves 5100 billion m3. The country is a member of OPEC and performs the largest gas production in Africa. The gas industry is the backbone of the country's economy - more than 90% of the foreign exchange earnings of the Nigerian budget. At the same time, despite high incomes, the state is very poor due to corruption, poorly developed infrastructure and a weak economy based only on the gas industry.

Country #10

Algeria. Explored deposits of fossil 4500 billion cubic meters. After the 90s In the 20th century, due to the growth of investments, explored reserves doubled. The largest deposit is Khass-Rmel, followed by Gurd-Nus, Nezla, Wend-Numkr. Algerian gas is of high quality, minimal impurities and unrelated to oil. Hydrocarbon production at the level of 83,296 per year.

Country #11

Norway. Three quarters of deposits in Western Europe have been identified in the North Sea. Volumes are assumed to be 765 billion cubic meters. And also found mineral deposits of about 47,700 billion cubic meters at the North Pole. Norwegian companies were among the first to produce gas using floating drilling rigs.

Country #12

Canada. Most of the produced gas is exported - 88.29 thousand m3, and the country itself consumes 62.75 thousand m3. The largest deposits are recorded in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, as well as on the shelf of the eastern part of the continent near Newfoundland. The main foreign consumer of Canadian hydrocarbons is the USA. At the moment, the states are connected by a gas pipeline.

State #13

China. China is one of the leaders in gas production. Most of the volumes are consumed by the state itself. Only blue fuel enters the international markets. Chinese gas deposits have been established in the South China Sea - the Yacheng field, the reserve volume is 350 billion cubic meters. On land, the largest deposit is in the Tarim Basin, which has 500 billion cubic meters of proven reserves.

Video: The entire natural gas production and treatment chain

We present to your attention a list of countries producing and exporting natural gas in large quantities.
10. Algiers. 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 the world's reserves. And half of this number is mined at the Hassi R'Mey field, located in the southeast of the country. Gas companies such as Total and Shell have been operating in the country for decades. Gas production is carried out by three plants with 15 production lines. 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 a poorly developed infrastructure. Nigeria is a country very dependent on gas, because the profit from its exports is 95% of income in foreign currency. In 2010, Nigeria became a leader in the export 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

The 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 holds back its development. The main gas pipelines are owned by PDVSA GAS.

7. UAE. Gas reserves: 6.1 trillion cubic meters

Most of the country's gas reserves are located in its capital, Dubai. Oil fields are located there, there is a gas reserve "Khuff". In 1977, the first LPG plant was built in the UAE by ADGAS. It is currently processing natural gas from all oil fields in the country.

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

All oil and gas fields are owned by the only state-owned company in the country - Saudi Aramco. It has a monopoly in this area. In total, Saudi Arabia has more than 70 deposits located in 8 regions of the country. Currently, there is an accelerated pace of gas production. This is due to the diversification of the economy. The country, which is one of the leaders in the extraction of this natural resource, plans to increase gas to the world market. As for the mixed oil and gas fields found at the end of the 20th century, they are located in the oil fields of Kirkuk. Clean deposits, which make up 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 the country's gas reserves are located in just four states: Texas, Colorado, Wyoming and Oklahoma. Also, about 5% of the mineral is taken from the continental shelf, which is under the jurisdiction of the US government. The main gas producing companies of the country, which occupies the middle of the top leaders in gas production, 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 extraction 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. A few years ago, the plans included a project to build the Nabucco pipe. But he died through the fault of the government of the country. And he had high hopes.

3. Qatar. Gas reserves: 24.5 trillion cubic meters

All LPG plants are located in the same city of 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 the European, Asian and North American markets. This became possible due to the favorable geographical position of the country, which took bronze in the ranking of the states that are leaders in gas production.

2. Russia. Gas reserves: 32.6 trillion cubic meters

Gas export is the most important part of the Russian economy - the leader in production in this area. The natural resource is mined in Western Siberia (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug), in the Urals, in the Lower Volga region and in 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 gas pipeline network, more than 140 thousand km long. The gas producer is the Gazprom monopoly, 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 in the late 90s, work on the extraction of natural resources. True, they stopped their activities for a time when sanctions were imposed against Iran, but it seems that now they can return to the market again. The country's authorities plan to increase gas production to 1 billion cubic meters per day by 2017. All reserves of Iran are 18% of the world.