Where is the most gas in the world? Russia ranks first in the world in gas reserves

Algeria is located in North Africa and borders the Mediterranean Sea. The Sahara Desert occupies most of the country's territory. The subsoil is rich in gas and oil. Thanks to them, Algeria receives 30% of its GDP. 95% of export earnings also come from gas and oil. Natural gas reserves in this country amount to 4.504 trillion. cube m. This amounts to 2.2% of world gas reserves.

Nigeria is located in West Africa. The country is washed by the Gulf of Guinea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean. Nigeria's subsoil is rich in oil and gas. Oil was discovered in the country in 1901, but the deposits were not used for a long time. They began to be developed commercially in 1956. Currently, oil production provides the country with 14% of GDP. Natural gas reserves in this country amount to 5.111 trillion. cube m. This amounts to 2.5% of world gas reserves.

Venezuela is located in South America. The country is washed by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The depths of Venezuela are rich in oil and gas. Oil production provides the country with approximately 30% of GDP. Natural gas reserves in this country amount to 5.617 trillion. cube m. This amounts to 2.8% of world gas reserves.

The UAE is located in the southwestern part of Asia, on the Arabian Peninsula. The country is washed by the Persian and Oman Gulfs. In the 1950s, oil fields were discovered in the UAE and the country was found to have large reserves of oil and gas. Now the oil and gas industry is one of the main sectors of the economy. This industry contributes approximately 40% of the UAE's GDP. Natural gas reserves in this country amount to 6.091 trillion. cube m. This amounts to 3% of the world's gas reserves.

Saudi Arabia is located on the Arabian Peninsula. The country is washed by the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia has large oil reserves and the oil industry plays an important role in its economy. This industry provides the country with 45% of GDP. 95% of Saudi Arabia's exports are oil exports. Natural gas reserves in this country amount to 8.489 trillion. cube m. This amounts to 4.2% of world gas reserves.

The USA is located in North America and is washed by three oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic. As of 2013, there were 1,761 active drilling rigs in the United States. Of this total, 1,373 rigs produce crude oil and 383 rigs produce natural gas. The majority of all drilling rigs (1,705 rigs) are located onshore. Natural gas reserves in this country amount to 9.580 trillion. cube m. This amounts to 4.8% of world gas reserves.

Turkmenistan is located in Central Asia. The country is washed by the inland Caspian Sea. The second largest gas field on the planet is located on the territory of Turkmenistan. Oil and natural gas refining and processing are among the main industries of Turkmenistan. Natural gas reserves in this country amount to 9.934 trillion. cube m. This amounts to 4.9% of world gas reserves.

Qatar is located on the Qatar Peninsula, which is located in the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. The country is washed by the Persian Gulf. Oil and gas production provides Qatar with more than 50% of its GDP. Natural gas reserves in this country amount to 24.531 trillion. cube m. This amounts to 12.2% of world gas reserves.

1 Russia

Just 3 centuries ago the word “gas” did not exist. It was first introduced in the 17th century by the Dutch scientist Van Helmont. It defined a substance capable of spreading throughout the entire space available to it.

One of the main places for use in the national economy of the country is occupied by flammable natural gases. Natural gas is the best type of fuel. Natural gas reserves on our planet are very large. This allows it to be widely used as fuel and raw material for the chemical industry, which has made it possible to synthesize many chemicals that do not exist in nature (polyethylene).

As a source of energy, gas is one of the main sources on Earth, second only to oil. The main component of natural gas is methane. In addition to methane, the composition may include: ethane, propane, butane, pentane, as well as inert gases.

Industrial deposits of natural gases occur in the form of isolated accumulations, not associated with any other minerals, in the form of gas and oil deposits in which the gas is enriched with liquid low-boiling hydrocarbons.

Natural gases are extracted from the depths of the Earth. After extraction, collection, and accounting, they are processed - harmful components (H 2 S), heavy hydrocarbons (butane, propane) and water vapor are removed. It can be transported over long distances at low cost through a large-diameter gas pipeline, and stored in underground gas storage facilities.

Before the Great Patriotic War, industrial reserves of natural gas were known only in the Caucasus, Trans-Volga region and the North. The study of natural gas reserves was associated only with oil exploration. Industrial reserves of natural gas in 1940 amounted to 15 billion m3.

Then gas deposits were discovered in the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Ukraine, the Volga region, Central Asia, Western Siberia and the Far East. As of January 1, 1976, proven reserves of natural gas amounted to 25.8 trillion m3, of which in the European part of the USSR - 4.2 trillion m3 (16.3%), in the East - 21.6 trillion m3 (83.7%), including - 18.2 trillion m 3 (70.5%) - in Siberia and the Far East, 3.4 trillion m 3 (13.2%) - in Central Asia and In Kazakhstan. As of January 1, 1980, potential natural gas reserves amounted to 80-85 trillion m 3 , explored reserves amounted to 34.3 trillion m 3 . Moreover, reserves increased mainly due to the discovery of deposits in the eastern part of the country - proven reserves there were at a level of about 30 trillion m 3, which amounted to 87.8% of the all-Union total.

Today, Russia has 35% of the world's natural gas reserves, which amounts to more than 48 trillion m 3 . The main areas of natural gas occurrence in Russia and the CIS countries (fields):

I. West Siberian oil and gas province:

Urengoyskoye, Yamburgskoye, Zapolyarnoye, Medvezhye, Nadymskoye;

Pokhromskoye, Igrimskoye - Berezovsky gas-bearing region;

Myldzhinskoye, Luginetskoye, Ust-Silginskoye - Vasyugan gas-bearing region.

II. Volga-Ural oil and gas province:

The most significant is Vuktylskoye, in the Timan-Pechora oil and gas region.

III. Central Asia and Kazakhstan:

The most significant in Central Asia are Gazlinskoye, in the Fergana Valley Kyzylkumskoye, Bayram-Aliyskoye, Darvazinskoye, Achakskoye, Shatlykskoye.

IV. Northern Caucasus and Transcaucasia:

Karadag, Duvanny - Azerbaijan;

Dagestan Lights - Dagestan;

Severo-Stavropolskoye, Pelachiadinskoye - Stavropol Territory;

Leningradskoe, Maikopskoe, Staro-Minskoe, Berezanskoe -

Krasnodar region. Also deposits in Ukraine, Sakhalin and the Far East.

Western Siberia (Urengoyskoye, Yamburgskoye, Zapolyarnoye, Medvezhye) stands out especially in terms of natural gas reserves. Industrial reserves here reach 14 trillion m 3 . The Yamal gas condensate fields (Bovanenkovskoye, Kruzenshternskoye, Kharasaveyskoye and others) are now becoming especially important. On their basis, the Yamal-Europe project is being implemented.

Natural gas production is highly concentrated and is focused on areas with the largest and most profitable deposits. Only five fields - Urengoyskoye, Yamburgskoye, Zapolyarnoye, Medvezhye and Orenburgskoye contain 1/2 of all industrial reserves in Russia. Reserves of Medvezhye are estimated at 1.5 trillion m 3 , and Urengoyskoye - at 5 trillion m 3 .

The next feature is the dynamic location of natural gas production sites, which is explained by the rapid expansion of boundaries by the spread of identified resources, as well as the comparative ease and low cost of involving them in development. In a short period of time, the main centers for natural gas production moved from the Volga region to Ukraine and the North Caucasus. Further territorial shifts are caused by the development of deposits in Western Siberia, Central Asia, the Urals and the North.

After the collapse of the USSR, Russia experienced a decline in natural gas production. The decline is observed mainly in the Northern economic region (8 billion m 3 in 1990, 4 billion m 3 in 1994), in the Urals (43 billion m 3 and 35 billion m 3, respectively), in the West Siberian economic region (576 billion m 3 and 555 billion m 3) and in the North Caucasus (6 and 4 billion m 3). Natural gas production remained at the same level in the Volga (6 billion m3) and Far Eastern economic regions.

Of the republics of the former USSR, the Russian Federation provides all the gas, Turkmenistan is in second place (more than 1/10), followed by Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Of particular importance is the extraction of natural gas on the shelf of the world's oceans. In 1987, 12.2 billion m3 or about 2% of the gas produced in the country was produced from offshore fields. Associated gas production in the same year amounted to 41.9 billion m3. For many areas, one of the gaseous fuel reserves is the gasification of coal and shale. Underground gasification of coal is carried out in the Donbass (Lisichansk), Kuzbass (Kisilevsk) and the Moscow region (Tula).

By the beginning of 1993, gas reserves in Russia as a whole reached 49.1 trillion cubic meters. In the period 1993-2000, geological exploration work generally confirmed the high assessment of the oil and gas potential of Russia. During this period, about 3 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves were increased. However, due to the reduction in the volume of geological exploration work in recent years, the increase in reserves was ensured mainly by exploration of previously identified deposits. The development of open fields in the European part of Russia and Western Siberia and the creation of a network of gas pipelines made it possible to increase gas production in 1970 to 83, in 1990 to 640.6. The share of gas in the Russian fuel and energy complex gradually increased and in 2000 amounted to 52%.

In 2000, according to preliminary data, 793 billion cubic meters of gas reserves were increased in Russia based on the results of geological exploration and revaluation of previously identified reserves. About 55% of the increase in gas reserves falls on the Kovyktinskoye gas condensate field in the Irkutsk region, 25% on the Chayandinskoye oil and gas condensate field in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The total gas reserves in the first are estimated at 1.7 trillion cubic meters, in the second - 1.2 trillion cubic meters. These fields will become the basis for gas supplies to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, and an increase in gas reserves in them will significantly strengthen the resource base of the projected gas pipelines.

Major successes were achieved in the exploration of new deposits in the Ob Bay of Western Siberia. Here, in 2000, OJSC Gazprom discovered the North Kamennomyskoye and Kamennomyskoye Sea gas fields, the total reserves of which in the Cenomanian sediments by category amount to 29.1 billion m3, confirming the forecasts of the high prospects of the Ob Bay. In the European part, an increase in gas reserves in the amount of 6.9 billion cubic meters was obtained at the Alekseevskoye (Elenovskoye) gas condensate field in the Astrakhan region.

By the beginning of the twentieth century. Russia's proven gas reserves amounted to 46.9 trillion cubic meters, of which 91.9% are concentrated on land and 8.1% on the shelf. The Timan-Pechora region contains 1.4% of Russia's proven gas reserves, the North Caucasus - 0.7%, the Ural-Volga region - 8.2%, Western Siberia - 75.6%, Eastern Siberia - 3.2% in the Far East - 2.8% and on the shelf 8.1%. At depths of up to 1.5 km, 23 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves are concentrated (49.1%), in the depth range of 1.5-3 km there are 16.3 trillion cubic meters (34.7%) and below 3 km - 7.6 trillion m (16.2%). The structure of the component composition is as follows: methane (dry) gases - 61%, ethane-containing gases - 30.3%, hydrogen sulfide-containing gases 8.7%. In the structure of gas production, the share of methane gases was 84.6%, ethane containing 9.2%, hydrogen sulfide containing 6.2%.

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

World gas reserves (2014)

No matter how many cubic meters of blue fuel the planet contains in its depths, you need to be careful and economical when extracting and consuming it. The resource is not replenished and is not formed on its own. 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 in 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 only last humanity 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 that have the largest reserves in the world. These are the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Germany and other European countries.

Russia

Our country has the richest deposits of this resource. As shown in the table, the estimated volume 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. Some of the predicted deposits are 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 ones, two-thirds are hidden in the depths of the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug. The European part of the Russian Federation accounts for only 10%. These are the largest gas reserves in the world that exist.

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

Iran

Apart from Russia, this Islamic republic also has the largest natural gas reserves in the world. According to general estimates, this is about 16% of the entire resource existing on the planet. The most important deposits are in the northeast and offshore of the Persian Gulf. The state plans to build the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.

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

Construction of the gas pipeline will be completed in 2019. Delivery will begin then. Turkey will receive 6 billion cubic meters of blue fuel annually as a transit country, and Europe will receive almost twice as much of the resource.

Qatar

The small state, which not everyone can find on a world map, has very large gas reserves. In the world it is the third largest in the number of hidden cubic meters of blue fuel in the bowels of the earth. This is approximately 24-26 trillion m³. Based on the above figures, the country can easily produce gas for the next 150 years. Here is one of the largest deposits on the planet - the Northern Dome.

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

Turkmenistan

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

Large gas reserves are hidden in the depths 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 Yolotan, named after this settlement - South Yolotan.

USA

This country primarily has the largest shale gas reserves in the world. It is extracted from and consists largely of 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 reserves in the United States are in the Gulf of Mexico. These wells are: Red Hawk, discovered 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. The country is building a gas pipeline to transport the resource. It will stretch from Point Thompson to the very Pacific coast, and from there to the heart of America - Washington.

Experts say the field could supply 7% of the United States' annual demand. It is expected that construction of the gas pipeline will be completed in 2018, at which 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. This country is also the main regulator of oil prices in the world and the leader of OPEC.

As for gas, over the next 10 years the country will double its production. No export supplies are expected; the resource will only meet the internal needs of the state. Currently, the largest gas field is Tukhman, located in the center of the Rub al-Khali desert. The initial reserve here is estimated at 1 billion cubic meters. The resource lies at a depth of five kilometers.

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

UAE

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

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

Venezuela

Natural gas reserves in the world are large, and the Bolivarian Republic 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 classified as "possible." The state is taking 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 this is the No. 1 state 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 leading exporter of important natural resources, but also claims to take first place in the ranking of the most developed and successful countries in Latin America. And this despite all its conflicts with the United States, the bordering Antilles and neighboring Colombia.

Nigeria

Gas reserves across the countries of the world were distributed in such a way that two African states also made it into the TOP 10 largest gas empires. In ninth place we have Nigeria - the No. 1 power on the “dark” continent in terms of proven reserves of blue fuel. About 5 trillion cubic meters of resource are hidden in the bowels of the earth. In terms of its exports, Nigeria ranks 7th in the world, which is also a good result.

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

As we can see, there are enough gas reserves on the planet. But this does not relieve us of responsibility for their economical and correct use for the benefit of subsequent generations.