Natural gas for electricity

For most countries, using more gas in power generation can make the largest contribution to meeting their emission reduction targets. Combined with capturing CO₂ from industry and power plants and storing it underground (CCS), natural gas is vital for lower CO₂ emissions into the future.

Natural gas, part of a cleaner energy future

Natural gas has many benefits and is an essential part of a cleaner energy future.

From the extraction of the fuel to the generation of electricity, modern gas-fired power plants emit around half the CO₂ of modern coal plants. In some cases, when comparing the least efficient coal plants in operation today with the most modern and efficiency natural gas plants, CO₂ reductions can be as high as 70%.

Natural gas is also the preferred fuel for combined cycle heat and power plants. In these plants the heat produced from generating electricity is used for industrial or domestic heating, raising overall efficiency.

New plants for gas are much cheaper and quicker to build than any other competing source of electricity including coal, nuclear, wind or solar.

Longer term, fitting gas plants with CCS is as cheap – or even cheaper – than for coal, and less storage space would be needed thanks to the lower CO₂ emissions.

Building the world’s largest gas to liquids plant, Pearl GTL, in Qatar

As technology advances, so does our ability to unlock the world’s gas resources. In 2010 in North America we increased our production of tight gas – natural gas trapped in dense rock – by 21%.

In Qatar we will soon bring on stream the world’s largest gas to liquids plant, Pearl GTL, which transforms natural gas into high quality liquid products.

Turning natural gas into liquid for transport helps to open up new resources. We continue to invest in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and we are pioneering Floating LNG, which will allow us to liquefy gas at sea rather than piping it to land.